


All's Fair in Love and War

by Leven_the_Valkyrie



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Arranged Marriage, Character Death, Cheating, F/M, Fictional Religion & Theology, M/M, Magic, Rape/Non-con Elements, Royalty, Slow Burn, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-08
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2018-05-25 12:00:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 25
Words: 127,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6194387
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leven_the_Valkyrie/pseuds/Leven_the_Valkyrie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The only way to solve an age long war that caused nothing but destruction and chaos is through an unwanted marriage. With trials and tribulations standing between them, will Axel and Roxas ever find happiness?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Proposal

The low lit room was crowded. The air was hot with body heat and candle light. Low murmurs could be heard as the nobles and royals talked among themselves, gossip being spilt from their lips as they talked about the new accords that were about to take place and possibly changing everything they knew. This was the most exciting thing to happen to the people across this continent in years. The kingdoms of Ignis and Lamina were finally calling a truce! The two powerful kingdoms had been at war longer than anyone could tell, the current kings, Xehanort and Ansem, weren’t even born when the war had started. 

The blond king sat across from the older, balding king, “This is my last offer: We give back all the taken land over the last twenty years.” Ansem sat back in his seat, the exhaustion showing on his face. His tired ember eyes looked over at his heir, Prince Sora, as the young prince scanned over the treaty and all the agreements that had been made so far. A small frown gracing his face. Lamina wasn’t faring well towards the end, but Sora still couldn’t fathom why they had to give so much just so King Xehanort would stop attacking even if he wanted the same thing. Ansem just patted his son’s shoulder to show that he understood what the brunet was feeling and he sympathized. 

Xehanort looked down at the table and frowned as he tried to remember all the land he had gained and lost over the years, “If my memory serves me right,” He said in a thoughtful, methodical way, “You would have more land than me in the end. I deserve more compensation don’t you think?” Golden eyes scan the room till they landed on someone over Ansem’s shoulder. A smirk formed over Xehanort’s face, “You have such lovely children your highness; why not let that runt come work in my personal harem?” The words spilt unshamefully from the elder’s lips while a gasp sounded around the room.

Ansem’s posture seemed to stiffen at that as he turned to see who Xehanort was talking about. His youngest son stood behind him. A small blond with large blue eyes. The third prince of the Lamina kingdom, Prince Roxas, “You’re harem?” Ansem violently stood up, sending his chair tumbling backwards, “You want a prince to work in a lowly harem? To be your personal whore? If you insult me like this again I’ll call this meeting to an end and continue this bloodshed.” As Anem’s words died down an eerie hush fell upon the room as the people stood on edge of the threat. The other three neighboring countries while not involved with the war, were still affected by it. Whether it was their territories getting trampled through by solders or people from Ignas and Lamina fleeing to their countries for salvation. 

“Please,” A soft voice spoke as a woman walked towards the table. She had long dark hair and large matching eyes. Her large chest was emphasized by her tight fitting corset. She was the sole ruler of the country beyond the borders of Ignis, Queen Tifa. “There must be another way. Prince Roxas does not and should not be placed in a harem.” Tifa’s dark brown eyes looked to Ansem in understanding. She would never place such a future on her own children if she ever had any. “May I propose a marriage? Something to join your countries in this glorious time of peace. All the kingdoms will rejoice with such a union.” 

Ansem and Xehanort studied each other for a while. Both contemplating the idea. Both scanned behind the other, taking in the young princes and princesses. Xehanort’s golden eyes still lingered on Roxas, “I will only give you my precious son if he marries one of yours.” He looked over Xehanort’s children. The man only had one daughter, Princess Kairi, while Ansem was blessed with only sons, “Princess Kairi seems like a fair trade, don’t you agree?” He nodded towards the young girl who blushed and hid behind one of her brothers in a vain attempt to get out of the king’s line of vision. 

Xehanort sighed and shook his head, “I’m afraid Kairi is not yet old enough to marry off. She’ll only be sixteen in the spring. My youngest has also already been promised to the son of King Eriques.” Xehanort nodded towards the king standing in the back of the room with his two children. His children, Prince Terra and Princess Aqua, didn’t seem interested in the meeting and was busy quietly chatting away about the gossip that floated around their castle. 

“Then we have no other option than to resort to two princes joining in matrimony.” Ansem sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. Homosexuality wasn’t frowned upon or illegal in his kingdom, but he still didn’t want that kind of life style on one of his sons. The king of Lamina looked at the prospects for Roxas. The eldest was a redhead with blue eyes that sent daggers in every directions they darted in. Prince Reno was out since he was the heir to the throne and would need to marry a queen to have children and the next generation of royalty. The second son looked just like Reno, except he had burning green eyes. Prince Axel seemed like he had an aloof personality, but that was nothing compared to the youngest Ignis heir. Prince Vanitas was known for being quite vindictive and known throughout the land to be quite cold and violent; someone Ansem would not want his youngest son to end up with, “I’ll only agree to this marriage if Roxas was to marry Prince Axel.”

Both princes visibly flinched at King Ansem’s words. Green and blue eyes met over the crowded room. Axel straightened his posture as he took in the small blond, trying to make himself look more assertive. He didn’t know how he felt being forced to marry such a timid looking brat, but if Xehanort agreed than Axel wouldn’t have a choice in the matter. Roxas on the other hand could feel his breath catch in his throat as he looked up at his future husband. The young prince didn’t like the look in those poison green eyes, they made him feel small and insignificant. He didn’t want to go through with any of this at all. But if it would save his kingdom he would do it. Roxas would do anything to save his people from any more bloodshed. 

Xehanort seemed to consider the offer. The kingdom of Ignis looked down on same sex couples, sex with the same sex was fine since it was only pleasure, but to marry? That was a completely different matter in the eyes of their deity. But to end this war the old king was willing to try anything, even if it did damn his own son’s soul to the lowest pits of hell, “It is done then. They’ll be married by week’s end and Prince Roxas will come live in Ignis as my son’s wife.” It was a demand, Ansem had no room to argue with his son’s new position. 

Roxas felt his jaw drop as he looked down at his father. He didn’t want to leave Lamina for Ignis to go live with the crazy royalty of the Ignis kingdom. A comforting hand was placed on Roxas’s shoulder, making the boy jump and look away from Axel and into comforting purple eyes.

Queen Terra pushed her flowing blond braid off of her shoulder so it wouldn’t get in her way as she leaned down to whisper in her son’s ear, “Don’t be afraid. Nothing will happen over there, plus you can come home whenever you want to visit.” Roxas smiled and intertwined his arm with his mother. Leave it to the queen to know what was wrong with her children without them having to say anything. 

“We sign the treaty at the wedding then.” Ansem said as the two kings shook hands in agreement. It wouldn’t do any good to sign it now and have one party pull out of the marriage, “We’ll arrive in Ignis in a few days.” And with that said the meeting was adjourned leaving two nations now at an uneasy peace and one prince with a racing heart and worried blue eyes.


	2. The Wedding

"What am I going to do?" Roxas moaned as he sank down on the plush bed, his face hidden in his hands. His week was up and now he and his family were currently in the Ignis Kingdom and were just a day away from the wedding that would bind his kingdom with his enemy's together. And to make matters worse Roxas had yet to officially meet his soon to be husband.

A blond that was similar in looks sat down next to the sulking prince and gently hugged him, "It's okay Rox. Father wouldn't put you in danger, he knows what he's doing." The twins, while encouraged to sleep in different rooms, decided that they'd share the large suite. It housed a king sized bed and a wardrobe that was big enough to fit all of Roxas's clothes that he had to bring from his home and still have some space left. A large wooden desk took up a decent amount of space, as well as a vanity with an attached mirror. And a room wouldn't be complete without a large, plush arm chair next to the window for optimal reading. There was a conjoining bathroom that had everything Roxas could need in it. While Ven's room only had a relatively small bed and a wardrobe that was so small that he had to keep some of his belongings in Roxas's. But he was lucky to have a bathroom too, only it housed a toilet and shower stall.

With the better accommodations and knowing how distressed his twin was, Ventus decided that sharing a room would be best despite his parent's and host's protests.

Roxas sighed and leaned into his brother's embrace, "I know he wouldn't, but that doesn't mean I want to go through with this. I mean I accepted the fact that I wouldn't get to marry for love a long time ago, but that doesn't mean I wanted to be someone's wife." The blond made a disgusted face, "Especially if it's to someone from this godforsaken country." The blond huffed and threw himself down onto the plush bedding, hugging a large pillow into his chest, "I just want to go home."

Ventus petted his younger brother's hair affectionately and looked down at him with saddening eyes, "I know, but you know if you ever get lonely here you can always send for me and I'll be here in a heartbeat."

"Lamina's a good three day carriage ride away, at best." Roxas said with a roll of his dark blue eyes.

"Well, just develop a slow heartbeat." Ventus laid down next to his twin and pulled the scared blond into a cuddle, "I'll make sure nothing happens to you. Promise." The two laid in a comfortable silence, almost on the edge of sleep, when the bedroom door slammed open, making the twins startle and jump up.

"Aww, I wanted to join in the cuddling, too." The brunet whined as he gently closed the door and trotted his way to the bed, "You two have that weird twin bond thing going on, and I'm stuck here on the sidelines all alone and shit."

"Really, 'and shit'? Is that any way for the next in line to talk?" Roxas got off the bed and hugged his older brother in greeting, "But you know we love you just as much. Right, Sora?" The oldest prince smiled at that. "How's your stay going? Find any cute girls to woo yet?"

Sora sighed and shook his head, "The only attractive girls I've seen so far are Kairi, who I may remind you is already promised to someone, and I could lose my head if I tried to flirt with her." The brunet pouted and crossed his arms over his chest, "And the other is this cute thing with black hair. I tried talking to her but she just looked scared and ran away from me like I had the plague or something."

Ventus got off the bed and poked Sora's cheek, "Well I honestly don't blame her. What with your half dead complexion, and your hair doesn't even look brushed. Can you even call yourself a prince?" The blond asked as he started to pester his brother in a way only a younger sibling could, earning a laugh from Roxas.

"You guys are jerks." Sora quipped and sat down on the stool that he had pulled out from under the vanity, "But I must say Roxas, your room is pretty sweet. I think it's nicer than Mother and Father's. Definitely better than mine by far. They must be trying to impress you or something."

"Yeah, or something." Roxas nibbled his lower lip, almost like he wanted to say something but was too embarrassed. A nudge from his twin and a reassuring smile urged the younger to continue, "Have…have you met any of the royal family, yet?" The blond asked, quibbling around what he really wanted to ask, but sadly Ventus always knew what he was thinking.

"I think you mean 'has he met Prince Axel, yet?'."

"I saw him briefly. I got to be honest Roxas, the guy is just creepy. He just kind of stood around, glaring at me like I killed his first-born son or something," Sora paused and waited for his joke to sink in, when neither twin laughed he muttered something about how two men can't have a first-born and continued what he was going to say, "But he doesn't seem as bad as Vanitas. That guy is just a major asshole. I saw him yelling at one of the maids because she folded his towels wrong or something."

"Weird." Ventus gave Roxas a worried look, "Stay away from him, okay?"

"I don't plan on being near any of them." Roxas sternly said, but then thought for a moment, "Well, maybe I can hang around the Princess, she seems to be a bit sane." Sora laughed and stood from his seat.

"Well, it was great hanging out, as brief as it was, but we need to be up early tomorrow for the big day. You two sleep tight. And Roxas," The youngest prince looked up at his brother with worried eyes, "Stay strong. I know this isn't ideal, but everything will work out in the end."

~X~x~X~x~

The castle was alive with rushing servants and arriving guests. The halls were decorated with red and white roses with nose itching incents burned in every corner. Every window was open to invite in the soft summer breeze and bright sunshine. Today was the big day and everyone was excited. Everyone with the exception of two princes.

Roxas paced his room, biting his thumbnail. He had been woken up two hours prior by the maids that had been assigned to him, and he was viciously pulled from his bed, stripped, and thrown into a lukewarm tub where he was scrubbed from head to toe till his skin turned pink. Once that torture was over Roxas was forced into the clothes that he would be wearing for the ceremony.

He was wearing a tight, white tunic that had sleeves that bellowed out towards his wrist, with a white leather vest over it. A simple golden cord hung around his midsection to show off his lean figure. He was decorated with silver necklaces and rings that had sapphires embedded into them, helping bring out his eyes. His legs were covered with tight white pants and knee high black boots that gave him an extra two inches to his short height. A long white cape with light blue stitching for decoration hung from his shoulders and hung all the way to the floor.

All in all the young prince felt out of his element. He was used to dressing in more casual clothing, and even when he did need to dress up for a meeting or to greet a foreign guest, all his parents requested of him was to not have any holes in his clothes.

"Well, don't you look pretty?" Ventus said as he walked out of the bathroom with only a towel around his waist while he dried off his hair with another towel, "How are you feeling?"

Roxas spat out the fingernail that he managed to rip off and started to ruffle his hands through his hair, "I don't know. Nervous, anxious, apprehensive, scared? Take your pick."

Ventus shook the excess water from his hair and started to shuffle through the wardrobe for something formal to wear, "Or how about all of them." The older twin looked over his shoulder and towards Roxas, "But for real, if Prince Axel turns out to be abusive in anyway, you come find me so I can straighten him out. I won't let anything bad happen to you."

Roxas nodded and smiled at his brother, "Thanks, but I'm a big boy, you know. I can take care of myself."

Ventus let out a small "Ah-ha!" When he found his outfit for the day and started to get dressed, "You'll never be a big boy till you're at least one hour older than me. Until that day you'll always be my helpless little brother." The older blond pinched Roxas's cheek, making the boy yell out in pain and swat away the offending hand.

A knock on the door stopped the playful fight and both boys gave their attention to the door as it opened and a redheaded girl peeked in. Her big, blue eyes widened when she saw Ventus's half-dressed state, "S-sorry for disturbing your Highnesses. Father wished me to fetch you. The ceremony's about to start." Princess Kairi quickly relayed the message, her eyes glued to the floor the whole time. The crimson color rising to her cheeks from embarrassment was only brought out more by the floor length gown that was a bright emerald green color.

"You don't need to be so formal with me Princess Kairi." Roxas said with a small smile, "We'll be family soon. You can just call me by my name." The girl nodded in understanding and was about to leave till Roxas called out, "But umm…if you wouldn't mind, could you wait outside for us? I'm not sure where I'm going, yet." She agreed and softly closed the door behind her.

Ventus let out a low whistle, "Damn, you're future sister-in-law's really cute. Lucky you." He slapped his brother on the back, knocking the wind out of him, before going back to getting dressed.

"Yeah, totally lucky." Roxas sighed and fidgeted, "I don't think I can go through with this." He sat on the edge of the bed and hid his face in his hands, "Will this even bring peace to our kingdom or is it all in vain?"

"It won't be." Ventus assured as he checked himself in the mirror to make sure everything was in place. Happy with what he saw the oldest blond turned and gave his brother a smile, "Okay, ready to go?"

Roxas and Ventus made their way out of the room and found Kairi leaning against the wall across from the door. A smile spread across her face as she took in the twin's appearance. She pushed herself off the wall and held her hand out for Roxas to take, "Ready to go Brother?" Her voice was hesitant, almost shy, as she held out a small, glove covered hand out to the blond.

Roxas bypassed the hand and brushed some shoulder length, wine colored hair out of the young princess's face and tucked it behind her ear, "As ready as I'll ever be." He offered Kairi his elbow, "Let's go."

Kairi happily let herself be escorted down the long halls as she showed the twins down to the Great Hall, where the ceremony would be held. Roxas felt his feet start to drag and his start to speed up, the closer they got. The princess seemed to feel the blond tense up and rubbed his arm.

"Smile. It's a good day." She whispered, "The war's finally ending." Kairi gave him a wide smile. Roxas noted that she really was happy about the wedding, "And on a different note, I finally get a brother who's sane!"

Ventus made a choking noise as he tried to stop a violent laugh from coming out. The prince had to stop walking to catch his breath, making Kairi and Roxas stop as well, the latter quirking an eyebrow in question, "I'm sorry. Sorry." Ventus wheezed as he tried to get air back in his lungs, "It's just that Roxas really isn't sane. He's the moodiest child I've ever met!"

Roxas frowned at his brother's comment and let go of Kairi, "I'm not a child, Ven! We're the same age!" The young blond fumed as he crossed his arms and glared at his twin.

Kairi's hands shot up to her mouth as she held back a mouth full of giggles, "Oh I wish I had a relationship with my brothers like you two do." She gave the twins a sincere smile before grabbing a hold of Roxas again, "But I'm afraid we're running a bit behind schedule, so we better get moving."

Once the twins had collected themselves the trio continued their journey in quiet, which left Roxas alone with his thoughts. He was afraid of his new life in Ignis. He had grown up thinking the people were evil beasts to be feared. That they would kill you for no other reason than the enjoyment of watching you bleed and choke on your final breath. And now he was marrying one of them.

They made it to the entrance of the Great Hall. The large doors were closed and the king and queen of Lamina stood outside, waiting for the trio to come, "Roxas, Ventus, where have you two been?" Queen Terra asked as she grabbed Ventus by the wrist and studied his appearance with a scrutinizing gaze. She tisked the appearance but let the boy go none the less, "Not as formal as I'd like, but it's too late to change now. I knew I should have asked for them to send servants to help you get ready, too." She sighed and pointed towards the doors, "You and Princess Kairi should go inside now. Your father and I need to have a word with Roxas before we get started."

Kairi curtsied towards the nobles before retreating through the large steel doors with Ventus lose behind her. Once alone Ansem approached his nervous son and placed a hand on his shoulder, getting Roxas's attention, "I know you're not looking forward to this. No one is. But I have an early wedding present for you." The old king unpinned a brooch from his chest and pinned it to Roxas's vest, "This has been passed on from generation to generation in our family. It should rightfully go to Sora, since he's first in line, but I think you need it more." Ansem explained as he straightened his youngest son's clothing out, "Remember where you come from and why you're doing this. That'll help make things easier."

Roxas looked down at the brooch his father had worn everyday probably since the day he was crowned king. The golden accessory shined in the sunlight showing a small dragon with a ruby engraved into its forehead. Carbuncle was a fair god and worshiped all over the kingdom of Lamina. The god was kind and bestowed its blessing on anyone who lived by doing good. Those who helped the needy or spread the gospel of Carbuncle were most in the God's favor. But those who chose to steal or kill were punished.

Roxas gently traced the brooch with his fingertips, "Thank you." He could feel tears starting to rise in his eyes and wiped them away. Terra quickly embraced her youngest son and hushed him, "We love you Roxas. Never forget that." She kissed the blond's forehead before releasing him and wiping away her own tears, "Come, it's time to get started."

King Ansem and Queen Terra left Roxas to go take their seats, leaving Roxas alone in the hall, waiting for the doors to open so that he could start his trek down the aisle and towards his new life. His life as the wife of his kingdom's enemy.

Slowly the doors opened, music filtered from the Great Hall and surrounded Roxas. Taking a deep breath the prince started his walk down the aisle, keeping tempo with the music. Blue eyes wandered around the room, taking in all the faces. Royalty sat in every pew, their eyes all on the nervous blond. Roxas noted that all the women looked happy and were on the verge of tears, while the men were a mix of disgust and weariness. No one would say anything bad about this union since it would finally bring peace to the land, but it was clear that what was going on made everyone uncomfortable. Never have countries been joined together using two sons. It just wasn't right. What Roxas was doing was an abomination in the eyes of so many different deities that he almost felt ashamed of himself.

The young prince made his way towards the altar where Axel and a priest waited for him. Axel didn't seem happy. His green eyes glared at the ground like he was trying to avoid looking at Roxas. The redhead wore something similar to Roxas with the exception of it all being black, and his sleeves fit to his form instead of bellowing out. And he had forgone the cape, replaced by a simple sward strapped to his hip. His hair had been pulled back into a tamed ponytail, but still managed to keep its wild, fiery look.

When Roxas finally made it to his spot in front of the giant crowd the old priest started to drone on about the sanctity of marriage and bringing two lives into one. But Roxas was deaf to it the whole time. His body felt numb as he heard Axel repeat the vows with a monotone and bored voice. Roxas felt his left hand get tugged away from his side by a rough hand as something cold and round was slipped onto his ring finger. Suddenly he became hyper aware of himself as the priest started to recite the vows Roxas had to say in return.

Roxas took a shaky breath and looked Axel in the eye as he repeated what the priest was saying. He retrieved the other ring that was sitting on the podium. His hands shook as he held Axel's larger hand and tried to slide the ring onto a long finger, but his nerves slipped. An audible clank echoed throughout the full room. The attendance all gasped, and blue eyes widened and zeroed in on the fallen ring.

Roxas's ears started to buzz with the sounds of the nobles starting to whisper among themselves. The young prince's face flushed as his eyes swept across the room. Sora and Ventus both looked shocked. Queen Terra's hands were pressed against her mouth, with her purple eyes doubled in size. King Ansem and Xehanort both had their golden eyes glaring in Roxas's direction, one in anger and the other with slight irritation. Kairi had her face hidden in her hands in sympathetic embarrassment. The other two Ignis princes, Reno and Vanitas, were exchanging words with amused smirks, almost like they had been anticipating something to go wrong. A quick glance towards Axel told Roxas that the redhead was pissed.

Roxas was utterly embarrassed. His heartbeat sped up and tears started to gather at the corners of his eyes, as he started to bend down to pick up the ring, but was stopped by the priest who pressed a withered hand on his chest, "Do you want to bring more bad misfortune onto this marriage?" The man asked as he bent for the ring. He brushed it off on his robes before handing it back to Roxas.

The prince accepted it and tried again. Axel impatiently shoved his left hand towards Roxas and waited for the blond to place the ring on his finger. It went on even with Roxas's hands still shaking. The priest finished his blessings and it was time for the newlyweds to kiss.

Roxas shrank back at Axel's acidic stare. The redhead looked like he'd rather kiss a mule's ass than kiss his bride. The blond didn't know what to do. He didn't want to make the first move. What if Axel tried to bite him? Neither were prepared to kiss a stranger that they hadn't said two words to. The two princes looked towards the front row where their families sat, seeking some sort of comfort or advice from their father's. King Ansem mouthed at Roxas encouraging words to get the blond to move and finish what they had come here for. While King Xehanort just looked at his son with a raised eyebrow, almost like he didn't understand what the problem was.

With an irritated grunt Axel roughly grabbed both sides of Roxas's face and pulled him close. Their lips met in a quick, unsatisfying peck that made the hair on the back of Roxas's neck stand on end. Before he could register what happened, the young prince was roughly shoved away as everyone in the room stood and cheered. The war was now officially over.


	3. Chapter 3

Roxas stiffly stood next to his husband as the guests came up one by one and thanked them for inviting them and gushed about how lovely the ceremony was. The blond prince noted how none of them wished the two a happy, fruitful marriage. But frankly he didn't blame him. Almost three hours into their marriage and Axel hadn't said one word to even acknowledged Roxas's existence.

"Prince Axel, Prince Roxas. Thank you for inviting us to witness such a wonderful beginning for your two kingdoms." A beautiful blonde woman greeted with a small curtsy. She had her arm intertwined with a blond male who was about ten years older than Axel. He was stern looking and made Roxas shrink back a bit.

"Thank you for making it King Cloud and Queen Naminé. I hope you enjoy your stay at the castle. Please stay for as long as you'd like." Axel said, his voice bored with having to repeat the same line to every guest. Roxas could tell just from the man's posture that he was starting to get irritated by having to greet all the guests, but the blond couldn't seem to open his mouth. It felt glued shut. He had never been the center of attention like this. He was the youngest so he grew up with Sora being doted on by the visiting royals who wanted to make a good impression on the next king. Sometimes Ven would get a little attention here and there being second in line. But the youngest? No one cared about him.

Roxas felt out of his element and didn't know what to do. Normally he'd seek out Ventus for comfort and support, but his twin was currently sitting at a table with Sora and Reno. The three seemed to be in a deep conversation, which made Roxas jealous.

The king and queen gave the newlyweds one last bow before going to join the other guests. Roxas let out a sigh of relief when he realized that King Cloud and Queen Naminé were the last guests to greet. He started to walk towards the table where his brothers sat, but was stopped by a cold hand on his shoulder, "My dear boy," A rough voice rang, "Where do you think you are off too? It is a custom for the bride and groom to have their first dance. Do you wish to keep tarnishing this day with your shameful behavior? You have already brought great dishonor to this union and to both our families. I think it not wise to add more."

Before Roxas had any time to react he was grabbed by the wrist and dragged back to Axel, who had relocated himself in the middle of the deserted dance floor. Xehanort let go of the blond prince at the edge of the crowed and nudged him forward towards his son. Roxas quickly made his way towards the middle of the floor, his eyes glued to the ground till a pair of shoes appeared in his line of vision. Slowly the blond lifted his head till his eyes met irritated green.

The talk around the hall hushed till it was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Suddenly the music started up. Axel looked at the crowed, seeing their expecting faces. He didn't want to do this but knew he had to. The redhead took one of Roxas's hands, the other resting on his waist. The blond wanted to move his hands so he could lead, but knew better than to cause another scene. Sucking in his pride, Roxas placed his free hand upon Axel's shoulder. Within seconds Roxas found himself following Axel's lead as they began to waltz.

While Roxas disliked being led across the floor, he couldn't help but notice how great of a dancer Axel was. The older prince never stepped on his toes and kept up well with the music's tempo. The only thing was that Axel had a permit scowl across his face and his eyes were glued to his and Roxas's feet. Roxas returned the expression, his eyes glaring at Axel's chest. He didn't want to look at the man's face and definitely didn't want to be caught staring at their feet as well.

A harsh cough caught both of the princes' attention. Standing on the side was Xehanort, glowering at his son. His intense golden eyes threatening the boy with harsh punishment if he didn't act civil with the blond. With a heavy sigh Axel brought his acid green eyes up from the ground and studied the small prince in his arms. He pushed down a nauseating feeling that was bubbling up in the pits of his stomach and tightened his hold on Roxas, pulling the blond closer into his chest.

"What?" Roxas squeaked as he pushed his face out of the man's chest. He looked up and gave Axel a confused look from the sudden move. He didn't want to be so close to the redhead. He was about to pull out of the other prince's hold but Axel stopped him.

"Try to look like you're enjoying this. We need to get that treaty signed." Axel's voice vibrated through his chest in a low murmur so only Roxas could hear it.

With a sigh the small prince leaned into Axel, resting his head on the man's chest. He could hear Axel's heartbeat. It was pounding erratically, just showing how scared and nervous he was. It wasn't much, but knowing the other prince felt the same helped calm Roxas's nerves.

As the newlyweds swayed to the soft music Roxas noticed other couples slowly start to filter on the floor as well. Blue eyes peaked over Axel's shoulder, so he could see who else was dancing. King Ansem and Queen Terra waltzed around like they were a young couple again with large smiles on their faces. Princess Kairi and Price Terra awkwardly held each other at arm's length as they tried to get used to one another. Queen Naminé and Prince Vanitas seemed to be chummy as the raven haired man spun the petite royal across the floor. A quick glance around the room and Roxas saw King Cloud talking to a brunet with a scar going across his face. The two seemed to be in a deep conversation. The blond king probably didn't even notice his wife had gone missing, or he didn't care.

Then something caught Roxas's eye, "Who's dancing with Prince Reno?" The blond asked. He thought he knew all of the royal families, but the blonde woman with the eldest prince was someone new. She had bright blonde hair that barely reached her shoulders with two pieces that stood up at the front.

Axel twirled them around so he could see his brother, "You mean Larxene? She's Queen Tifa's niece. She's engaged to Reno. They've been friends since we were little. I think he would have pushed to marry her even if we didn't need Mulier's support for the war."

Roxas hummed as he leaned into Axel's warmth, "But she's not royalty?" The prince was confused, "And the war's over now because of us, wouldn't your father pull the engagement?"

The arms around the small blond's waist loosened a bit and Roxas saw an uneasy look cross the redhead's face, "Yeah…" Was all he said, and without warning he tipped Roxas backwards till the blond's left leg had to pop up to help him keep his balance.

When Roxas was up right again he shook his head and glared at the redhead, "Don't do that again. I don't like being dipped." Really Roxas just hated being upside down. It made him dizzy and the feeling of all the blood rushing to his head made him want to barf. Dots danced in his eyes as he tried to steady his breath.

Axel apologized and they continued their dance. Roxas noticed that his partner had tensed up and wasn't holding him as close. Did he do something wrong? "So…ummm…" The prince tried to come up with something to talk about but then something caught his eye, "How do you think Queen Tifa keeps her bust in that tight dress without them falling out?" The blond turned them so Axel could see the bodacious woman who was wearing a dress with a plunging neck line that showed more cleavage than was necessary as she twirled on the arm of a man Roxas didn't know.

Axel laughed, "She's probably had a lot of practice. You'd learn your lesson too after a nip-slip." Roxas felt his face break out in a grin at that and had to hide his blushing face in Axel's chest to stifle the laughs, "Oh you need to see this." The redhead nudged the smaller teen till Roxas looked up and saw Vanitas stumble and bump Naminé into another dancing couple, "I swear that boy has the best foot work when it comes to fencing, but he has no grace with dancing."

"What's up with Larxene's hair?" Roxas asked as he caught sight of his other brother in-law and his fiancée. He felt a calm wash over him as he felt Axel's arms tighten around him. Maybe the redhead wasn't so bad.

"It's a long story. But basically when we were little she was here visiting and I may have caught her hair on fire." Roxas pulled away with a shock expression which made the taller man laugh, "It was an accident and she didn't get hurt, but her hair got fried and started to stick up like that. I guess she liked the look and decided to keep it."

The two exchanged small talk and laughed at the people who couldn't dance. Roxas was starting to think maybe he had been too cynical. Maybe Axel wasn't a bad guy and they could be friends, "Do you think this will work out?" The blond shyly asked as he gestured between them.

Axel looked startled at the sudden question. He didn't answer and looked away, which made Roxas's heart sink. The blond opened his mouth to apologize and take it back, but before he could get the words out the music stopped and Axel released him and began to walk away.

The blond was left alone in the middle of happy dancing couples as the next song started. What had just happened? Weren't they getting along? What did he do to make the redhead so upset?

With a dejected sigh the young prince made his way off the crowded floor and towards the table where his brothers sat. Roxas pulled off the long cape that hung from his shoulders and tossed it over the vacant chair before sitting in it. Ventus gave his counterpart a soft smile and patted him on the back, "You two looked cozy out there. See I told you everything would be fine-"

"It was just an act. As soon as the song ended Axel left without a second look." The young prince sighed again and laid his head on the table, "He seemed nice, but like I said, it was an act."

Sora, the forever optimist he was, had to put in his two cents, "Nah, you could tell from the look in his eyes. It was genuine. Everything will be fine. I promise."

Blue eyes peaked out from the white table cloth as Roxas looked up at his oldest brother, "You can't promise that."

The sound of heavy footsteps approaching the table caught the three princes' attention as three pairs of blue eyes looked up to see a proud looking man with long, silver hair and amber eyes. He looked down on Roxas with disdain, "Such a way to sit. Shape up your act or you'll bring shame to this family and Axel's name." The words stung Roxas and he sat up straight to appease the stranger. It seemed that embarrassing himself was the theme for the day.

Sora glared at the man, not liking his tone, "I'm sorry Sir, but don't you think it rude to come and berate someone on their wedding day when you didn't even have the decency to introduce yourself." The brunet didn't let his glare falter. He may be the sweetest and kindest prince as they came, but he would not tolerate anyone talking bad about his brother.

The older man's frown deepened, "I'm Lord Xemnas. King Xehanort's brother, and you shall treat me with the respect I demand." He gave the young brothers another glare before saying, "All of your presents are needed. The kings are getting ready to sign the treaty and all of the royal families must be there."

Sora looked about the room and took note that all of the royals were gathering into a room off to the side, leaving the nobles and other guests to tend to themselves. Xemnas turned from the table and went back to the party, disappearing into the crowd. Once the man was gone the siblings got up from their chairs to follow.

The secluded room was dark, only a few torches lining the walls were lit and the drapes were pulled shut, blocking the bright sunlight outside. Families from the six great nations crowded the room, all quietly waiting for the meeting to begin. There was one table with five chairs pulled up to it. King Xehanort sat at the head while King Ansem and Queen Terra took the other end. Axel took up another chair, his eyes glaring at the piece of paper that sat on the table. Roxas could only guess that the empty seat was meant for him. A gentle shove from a happy looking Queen Tifa only confirmed the blond's suspicion as she escorted him to the seat.

Once the young prince took his seat King Ansem started to talk, "Thank you, Xehanort for opening up your home to my family and letting such a grand day happen. I look forward to the years of peace that will grace our nations."

Xehanort smiled and tilted his head towards his middle son and his new bride, "Indeed. I think our god, Ifrit, will look over the monstrosity of my son having to wed another male, for it brings the greater good to our world!" At his words Axel flinched and his hands fisted into his pants in frustration. It didn't go unnoticed by Roxas.

The two princes sat awkwardly next to each other as their father's kept talking about how they hope their marriage would be long and prosperous. Roxas kept his eyes on his hands that were folded onto his lap.

Ansem looked to his youngest son with a sad smile, "Before we go on with anything, I just want to make sure Roxas is in safe hands. I can trust you with him can't I?"

Xehanort's golden eyes seemed to narrow at the question, "What's this? You don't trust me? I would never do anything to harm your son." He grasped at his chest with an old withered hand, "Do you think I would want to start another war just as this one was ending?"

Ansem just shook his head, "No. I'm just a worried old man who cares deeply for his children." The old king knew of Ignis' hatred towards any gay couple. He just hoped they would treat his son right. The man looked over to the young redheaded prince, "I can only hope that you'll treat him right."

Axel looked shocked at the question. He wasn't expecting to be addressed during the meeting. It took the redhead a moment to think of an answer that would please Ansem, "I will. He's my responsibility now." His voice was cool and sent a shiver down Roxas's spine. The words didn't sound sincere so the blond couldn't tell if his husband was telling the truth or not.

Ansem didn't seem to catch the tone and accepted his son in-law's words to heart. With a nod and thank you the man turned his attention back to Xehanort and the task they had originally set out to do. The king pulled the paper over to his side of the table and carefully read over the treaty. He nodded when he noted that he wasn't losing any land or money over the agreement. All it started was that peace would remain over the two kingdoms as long as Axel and Roxas were happily married. Something King Ansem could agree with. The man grabbed the quill that sat on the table and wrote down his signature. He pushed the paper towards the other end where Xehanort quickly signed, not needing to read it since he was the one who wrote the peace treaty.

The once quiet room boomed in an explosion of noise as the royals cheered. Finally the age long war was over. Royals crowded the small table to congratulate the two kings and their sons. The festivities left the crowded room and back into the party where word quickly spread about the newly signed treaty. Wine and champagne came out and people would come up to the newlywed couple and ask to share a toast.

It didn't take long for Roxas's head to start feeling light and slow. It took all of his mental capacity to keep up with the fast words that were thrown at him. He had long ago lost sight of Ventus and Sora and was starting to miss them. The blond disjointed himself from Axel for the first time in what felt like forever to look for his brothers. He didn't know how long he was looking, but was stopped by a hand grabbing his arm. Roxas turned to look at the person and came face to face with his father.

Without a word Ansem dragged his tipsy son through the crowded room till they ended up in the halls. The only people walking around were servants that were quickly rushing around to prepare the spare rooms for their guests who would be staying the night.

Roxas didn't know where his father was pulling him too. None of the halls looked familiar but the alcohol in his system made it hard for the blond to care. A large oak door was open and Roxas was pushed in. Ansem gave his son an apologetic look before closing the door behind him, leaving the blond alone in the room.

Roxas let his posture sag now that he was finally alone. His tired eyes swept over the room. It was huge. A long couch took up a whole wall and looked like you would sink in if you sat on it. There was a desk that was covered with different kinds of writing implements; with a large leather chair sitting at it. But what caught Roxas's eye the most was the large four poster king sized bed. Roxas let his feat guide him towards it. He heavily leaned against one of the posts, his hands gently petting the deep purple, velvet curtain that hung beside him.

With a tired smile Roxas started to strip off his vest and kicked off his boots before he climbed onto the plush comforter. He pulled a soft pillow to his face and quickly drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

~X~x~X~x~

Axel stalked in the shadows of the party. He was tired of it and was just waiting for the majority of the guests to disperse before he retired back to his room and forget this day had ever happened. Green eyes spotted Sora and Ventus casually talking to Kairi. He couldn't help but wonder where Roxas had wondered off to. He noticed that the younger prince had ended up drinking more than his body probably could handle before vanishing while muttering how he wanted to find his brothers.

So why wasn't he with Sora or Ventus? Curiosity sparked within the redhead. It wasn't that he cared about where Roxas was, but looking for the blond would give him something to do. With nothing else to go off of, the prince decided that talking to the brothers would be his best bet for figuring out what had happened to bride.

Kairi was the first to notice Axel and gave him a small wave before disappearing to find someone else to talk to. Ventus smiled when he noticed the new comer, "Hello Axel." He smiled at the redhead, trying to leave a good impression for his twin's new husband. At the redhead's glare Ventus hesitated before bringing his wine glass up and taking a nervous sip. Those green eyes were intimidating and the small blond felt like he would combust under the harsh gaze. He suddenly felt sorry for his baby brother.

"Where's Roxas." Was all Axel said as he crossed his arms across his chest, obviously annoyed.

Sora looked over at the redhead. His sky blue eyes heavy with alcohol and a scow on his face, "Wasn't he with you? How could you lose him? Guess he really wanted to get away from you." The brunet had obviously drunken more than he could handle. Usually Sora was the nicest person in the room, but once he had wine buzzing through his system his personality did a one-eighty.

"He went looking for your drunken ass." Axel growled between clenched teeth.

Ventus sighed and gave Axel an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry about my brother. He can be…hard to handle when he's had too much alcohol." He awkwardly laughed and looked around the room, trying to find his missing twin. He couldn't have gone far. The crowded room was thinning out, yet he couldn't find the familiar set of blond spikes that belonged to Roxas.

"Axel." A stern voice said, catching all three princes attention, "You're bride is waiting for you up in your room." Xehanort said as he approached his son, "You should go up and consummate your marriage and secure the treaty."

Axel felt his stomach twist in knots. The thought of having to sleep with Roxas made the redhead feel physically ill. It took all of his will power not to vomit all he had eaten over the night. He had never asked for this. All of his life Axel had been taught that romantically being with another man was wrong and would damn him to hell. Why would his father do something like this to him just to stop a war that they could have won? Ignis had much more soldiers that were better trained, more land and resources, and had managed to secure more alliances. Who would care if Lamina was wiped off the continent? They were nothing but liars and thieves. Axel felt that they had only agreed to the treaty was to save their cowardly hides.

Axel was about to walk away and hide from his father or anyone else that would try to drag him to his waiting bride. But a cold hand grabbed him by his upper arm and pulled him back, "Axel," Xehanort hissed as he dug his nails into his son's arm, "Please, for once in your life will you just do as you're told and do your duties as a prince of our proud nation."

"Even if it means to go against everything you've taught me?" The redhead growled as he tried to rip his arm from his father's grasp, only to feel Xehanort's grip tighten and keep him in place.

Ventus looked between the feuding men and took it as his and Sora's cue to leave. The blond grabbed his brother by the arm and tried to walk away without drawing any attention to them. Sora didn't seem to like the idea of leaving and cried out in protest, but thankfully Axel and Xehanort were too caught up in their fight to notice or care.

"You knew of your responsibilities since you were young. Why can't you behave like Reno? He's never fought me over things like this." The old man sounded tired but he didn't let up his hold.

Axel sneered at his father but didn't say another word as he was dragged out of the room and towards his chamber. He would find a way out of this. He refused to be in a marriage that represented everything he was against.

Before he knew it Axel was outside his room and Xehanort was pushing him through the door and locking it behind the redhead's back. Axel glared at the wood for a moment before he looked around. Roxas was nowhere to be seen. The prince let out a sigh of relief, happy to be alone. He went towards his wardrobe and started to strip and redress into something more comfortable.

Everything seemed normal and in place. So where was Roxas? Axel looked towards the ensuite bathroom but saw nothing through the open door. Axel pondered the idea of Roxas leaving and going back to his own room. The prince shrugged, looking forward to having his room to himself. Maybe he'd call for his concubine to celebrate him for not having to sleep with his bride.

Axel went towards his bed and pulled back the curtain that blocked his bed from view and he frowned at what he saw. Roxas was curled up under the blankets in the middle of the bed. The blond looked so peaceful while he slept. The tension of the day had left his shoulders and a content smile graced his small face. Axel couldn't help but think that Roxas looked cute when he was so unguarded.

Axel shook his head at the thought. Roxas was male. Males weren't cute. Green eyes narrowed at the sleeping teen as anger started to bubble in the pits of Axel's mind. The prince grabbed fists full of the blankets and ripped them away from Roxas, startling the blond and making him bolt up in shock.

"What!?" Scared blue eyes darted around the room till they fell on Axel. Sudden realization set in and the blond sank back in the bed, his hazy mind starting to wake up, "You're here to…umm…"

"Get out of my bed." Axel interrupted as he pointed towards the couch, "You can sleep there, but the bed's mine. I never want to see you on it again."

Roxas felt himself blush at Axel's glare. The candle light bounced off his eyes, intensifying the fire within them. The blond looked towards the couch and decided that one night on it wouldn't kill him, and in the morning he could go and find his own room.

One last look at the redhead's deadly glare had Roxas on his feet. He dragged his tired body towards the couch. But as he walked passed his husband, Roxas couldn't stop the words that were bugging him from coming out of his mouth, "So much for being civil."

Axel didn't seem to like that. He quickly threw the blanket back on his bed and stormed across the room till he was only a few inches away from the smaller male, "What the fuck was that?"

"You heard me!" Roxas yelled back, "We're married now. You'd think that you could be decent enough to let me sleep on the god damn bed!"

"Why would I want you there? We don't need to consummate our marriage. No one would know if we did or not. I have no use for you" Axel was getting annoyed. He just wanted to go to sleep and forget that today had happened.

Roxas scowled at the redhead and took a step forward, which Axel met with a step back, "Who said anything about having to have sex? What if I just wanted somewhere comfortable to sleep? It's not like I wanted to be in here either."

"Please," Axel countered, "I know what you do over in Lamina. Men marrying other men like there's nothing wrong with it. You're whole kingdom is sick and fucked up."

Roxas couldn't believe what he was hearing. He wanted to hit the older man, but he knew if they started to fight Axel would easily win solely due to his larger height. He would just have to get back at the redhead in a different way. "You say it's fucked up," The blond whispered so low that Axel had to strain his ears to hear him, "Yet you were the one who kissed me, you're the one that started the dance with me, then you were the one who brought up us needing to finalize our marriage. Maybe you're the fucked up and sick one, not me!" The more he talked, the louder his voice got. Almost to the point that Roxas found himself yelling again.

Roxas calmed himself and took in Axel. The air that came off of the redhead told everything in Roxas to run away, but his feet felt like they had been nailed to the floor. Blue eyes noted that Axel was clenching his fist. Maybe there was a way out of this marriage and the blond could go home, "Hit me."

That seemed to catch Axel off guard. His eyes widened in shock, "What?"

"Hit me. Right here." Roxas pointed to his face. "Go on, I know you want to so do it."

Axel wanted to. He really did. But he knew what the blond was trying to do. He wanted to break off the treaty. There was one problem with that, "I'm all for beating the shit out of you, but if your father sees any mark on you that wasn't made during sex then he'll have my head. I don't know if you read the treaty or not, but I can't hurt you. Not unless I want to die." There was a pause while Roxas thought over what Axel had said. His blue eyes lit up when he came up with another answer but Axel quickly cut him off, "And don't even think about harming yourself and blaming me, or I'll come after you before they can get to me."

Roxas shut his mouth and looked lost in thought. He went towards the door and tried to open it, not wanting to be around his moody husband anymore, only to find it locked. Of course it would be locked. Xehanort and Ansem probably didn't want anyone going in to disturb the newlyweds or for one of them getting away.

With a defeated sigh Roxas marched back towards the bed, grabbed one of the blankets and collapsed face first onto the couch. He was exhausted from the day's events and just wanted it to end. He heard Axel grumble to himself while he blew out the candles and went to his bed. Once Roxas was sure the redhead was asleep he let himself cry himself to sleep. Hopefully tomorrow would be a better day.


	4. The Deed

Roxas glared at the plate of food in front of him. It was midday and he had just been let out of Axel’s room and he was sent to get lunch. The night was spent with him thrashing on the couch trying to get comfortable and uncontrollably crying. He was thankful that Axel appeared to be a heavy sleeper. He did not need the redhead giving him even more shit over having feelings since it was becoming clear that the older man had none.

“Hello Brother.” A cheerful voice echoed through the room, catching Roxas’s attention.

“Hey Kairi.” Axel mumbled as he took a bite of his food. He looked just as tired as Roxas felt. He was slouching in his seat and looked like he was having trouble keeping his eyes open.

“I wasn’t talking to you.” Kairi said and stuck her tongue out at her older brother.

Axel looked around the room and saw that besides him, Roxas, and Kairi the only other people in the room were some servants who were waiting for the princes to finish their food so they could clean up, “There’s no one else here.” He muttered mostly to himself than to his sister, “You must be going senile. And at such a young age, too.”

The young girl huffed and placed her hands on her hips in a defensive manner, “You must be going senile and blind. And at such an old age, too.” Kairi mocked, “Roxas is here too you know. God, you’re a pathetic excuse for a husband.” She rolled her dark blue eyes as she sat next to Roxas, a triumphant smile on her face at her brother’s annoyed look, “Father wanted to talk to you by the way, and he didn’t look happy.”

Axel eyed his sister for a moment, trying to figure out if she was telling the truth, or just wanted her brother to go away. The redhead decided that he’d rather be away from Roxas, and even if his father didn’t need him, “Where is he?” Axel asked as he stood from the large table, food completely forgotten.

Kairi hummed to herself as she tried to remember where her father said he would be, “I think he’s in the court near the fountain showing King Ansem around.” The girl went back to ignoring her brother and started talking to Roxas.

With an annoyed huff Axel left the dining room to go find his father. It didn’t take him long to make his way outside, where he found his father right where Kairi had said he would be. King Eraqus had joined Xehanort and Ansem, and the three kings seemed to be in a deep conversation. Xehanort’s golden eyes seemed to catch his son, and waved for Axel to come join them. The young prince approached the three men and bowed low, “Good afternoon, you’re Majesties.” He said like a rehearsed line before straightening, “I’m sorry to bother you father, but Kairi said you had something to talk to me about.”

“Oh yes, that’s right. Meet me by the stables, I’ll meet you over there soon.” Xehanort said before going back to his conversation with the other kings. Axel bowed one more time before leaving the trio and heading for the stables.

Once there, Axel went to an area he was all too familiar with. Towards the back there was a large stall that housed a beautiful, pure white horse with dark eyes. He was tall with strong legs and a lean body. Perfect for fast riding. Axel smiled as he opened the stall and stepped in, the horse neighed in greeting and leaned into the redhead’s touch

“How you doing Zephyr?” Axel asked as he played with the horse’s wild mane. The prince had been given Zephyr as a present on his sixteenth birthday. At the time Axel could barely ride a horse and was intimidated by the colt. Over the years under Reno’s guidance the two had bonded, and the redhead easily learned how to ride, easily surpassing his brother. It was only a matter of time till Kairi got a horse of her own and Axel would teach her how to ride.

Axel busied himself with feeding the horse oats and brushing his shiny coat. He couldn’t have been in there for more than half an hour before Xehanort decided to join him, “I knew I’d find you here.” The old man said as he walked towards the stall, grabbing his son’s attention. Axel turned to face his father and saw a deep frown across the man’s face; Xehanort wasn’t pleased, “So Axel tell me, how was your first night with your bride? You two didn’t wake up till late and you both seemed tired.” The king asked as he walked into the stall, blocking the redhead’s only exit.

Axel felt his face heat up at the question. He knew that him and Roxas had been locked in his room for a reason, and instead they had fought, neither interested in doing their duties to their kingdoms. But Axel didn’t know what was more embarrassing, telling his father the truth or lying, “It was…it was nice.” The redhead managed to choke out.

“Just nice?” Xehanort raised his brow, “What was the young prince like, Axel? Did he cry? Was he a moaner or a screamer? Did he beg for more?”

Axel felt his fists clench in anger. He knew it was stupid, it’s not like he had done anything with Roxas, “Is that really any of your business?”

“It is when my kingdom’s on the line!” Xehanort yelled, startling Axel. In the background Zephyr whinnied and retreated to the back of the stall, “I know you didn’t consummate your marriage Axel. The maids informed me, when they went to clean your room and noticed the sheets didn’t need to be changed. If Roxas tells his father then the treaty could be called off. The war could start up again. Do you want that?”

Axel was having a hard time keeping his temper under control, “And why would that be bad?” The redhead practically yelled, “We could have destroyed that pathetic kingdom! I don’t understand why you insist on this god forsaken treaty!”

Xehanort glared at his son and grabbed his arm in a death grip, “Watch what you say boy. If anyone else heard you, you could lose your head for treason.” The king growled, “I’ll let it slide this time, but watch your tongue.” He released the arm but his harsh gaze never left Axel, “And don’t you think if we could destroy Lamina we would have? This war has been going on longer than I have been alive and if a winner was meant to be then it would have happened by now. Just accept your fate and be honored that you were the one able to stop such bloodshed.”

“I’ll never be honored about having to marry another man. It’s disgusting and I want no part of it. You should have given the job to Reno or Vanitas. Hell you could have just gotten rid of Kairi’s engagement with Tenebris and have her marry Roxas.”

Xehanort pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance. Was his son really so daft? “Reno’s already promised to Larxene to secure an alliance with Mulier, and Kairi has to marry Prince Terra since both kingdoms surround our territory. As for Vanitas,” The king hesitated as he tried to pick the right words, “He just wouldn’t do. He wouldn’t care about Roxas’s well-being and would probably cause more harm than good. There’s a darkness in that boy, probably from me letting him fight in the war at such a young age. But you were better suited, besides King Ansem seemed to like you the most. You’re not as rash. Just give it time and everything will work out.”

“No it won’t.” Axel seethed. There was no way that being married to a Lamina reject would solve anything.

“Foolish.” Xehanort spat out. His golden eyes seemed to grow cold as he looked down on his son with disappointment. The next words he spoke were cold and uncaring, “You wish to bring another war onto our kingdoms. It’s almost like you forgot what your mother died for.”

“Don’t you dare bring my mother into this!” Axel yelled; managing to scare every horse in the stable. The small structure erupted into a fray of noise. The redhead’s temper was getting the better of him and he knew he needed to get away.

“I’ll bring her up if I have to!” Xehanort yelled back. He violently grabbed his resisting son and dragged him out of the stables. The old king waved down two of his personal guards who were meandering around the area, “Take him to his room and make sure he stays there.” The man ordered as he tossed his son into the guard’s arms, “And fetch Prince Roxas and send him there too. Make sure King Ansem and Queen Terra don’t see you.” Xehanort ordered.

The guards both had to hold one of Axel’s arms as the redhead kicked and yelled to be let go, but it was proved useless.

King Xehanort watched his son disappear with a deep frown. He didn’t like doing this. He didn’t wish for his children to be unhappy. But it was for the better good. Two lives sacrificed to save the lives of thousands. The sooner Axel realized that he wasn’t a victim, the easier things would become.

~X~x~X~x~

Roxas frowned when he opened his wardrobe and found it empty. While eating lunch Sora and Ven had come by to hang out. As Roxas finished Kairi offered to give him a tour of the castle, which Roxas had declined, while his brothers took the young princess up on her offer. He really needed a shower.

The blond made his way back to his guest room and took a long, hot shower. But now he was left with a problem. He was dressed in only a towel that clung to his narrow hips, and all of his clothes had disappeared. As well as the clothes Ventus had left. Roxas was starting to regret letting the maids take away his dirty clothes that he had worn to his wedding.

A knock at the door startled the young prince. He thought it would be a maid coming back with clothes for him, a bit of wishful thinking. He tied the towel into a knot to keep it in place before he opened the door. And when he did, he was shocked to find two soldiers, “Prince Roxas,” One addressed him, “You need to come with us.”

“What?” Roxas fidgeted under the men’s eyes, “Why? I mean I need to get dressed. Could you do me a favor and send a maid up? I seem to have misplaced my clothes.” The blond awkwardly laughed and went to close his door but was stopped by a strong hand pushing it back open.

“It doesn’t matter. You won’t need any where you’re going.” The hand that was holding the door quickly shot out and grabbed onto the prince, pulling him out of the room and into the empty hallway.

“Hey!” Roxas tried fighting back, but found his arms pinned behind his back, “Let me go! You can’t do this!” He tried to push back against the man’s chest, but he was much bigger and stronger. The blond never stood a chance.

“I think you’ll find that we can. Orders from the king, he wants you relocated.” The guard not holding Roxas said as he looked around to make sure that there was no one around. He seemed to be the scout, always walking ahead to check around corners or the next hall over, sometimes even doubling back to make sure no one was coming up behind them.

It all seemed odd to Roxas, and the fact that he couldn’t get dressed made the blond even more suspicious, “Where are you taking me?”

The guards didn’t answer as they continued their journey through the long halls. After ten minutes Roxas was starting to get tired of his kidnapping and was about to voice his irritation, but was stopped in front of a door. The scouting soldier pulled a silver key from his pocket and unlocked the door.

“Good luck in there.” Was the last thing Roxas heard before he was shoved over the threshold and the door was locked again behind him.

Blue eyes scanned the room, and the blond realized he was back in Axel’s room. Said redhead was standing by an open window, throwing handfuls of clothes out. It only took Roxas a moment to realize to whom those belonged to, “What the hell!?” The blond yelled as he ran towards Axel and grabbed his arm to stop him, “What are you doing? Those are mine!”

“Well, I don’t want them in here and the door’s locked so I can’t toss them out in the hall. This is the next best thing.” The redhead said with a simple shrug as he threw another handful of Roxas’s garments out the window.  
With a growl Roxas adjusted his towel to make sure it was in place before he made a reach to grab his clothes out of the man’s clenched hand, “Well, I don’t know if you noticed or not, but I kind of need these.” The blond hissed as he looked at what he had left. A shirt, one sock, and a couple of belts. Great, “Nice going asshole.” Roxas seethed as he tossed his remaining clothes on the ground and sat on the bed with a heavy sigh.

Green eyes glared at the blond, “I thought I said you weren’t allowed on the bed?” A hand shoved Roxas off the bed, making the blond fall to the floor. Unfortunately the knot in his towel decided it didn’t want to hold anymore, fluttering gracefully to the ground and landing next to the blond. Axel froze. It seemed like he was just realizing that Roxas had been wearing nothing but the loose fitting towel.

With a deep blush the redhead looked away, suddenly regretting his early decision of throwing the blond’s clothes out, “Will you put something on? Fuck, what the hell is wrong with you?”

“With me?” Roxas grabbed the towel and stood up, fastening it back to his waist, “I wouldn’t be like this if you hadn't tossed all of my belongings out, or pushed me off the bed!” By now the blond was fuming. He wanted to hit Axel, but what would that solve? It would only start another war. With an annoyed huff Roxas turned to leave but remembered that the door was locked. He wasn’t in the mood for this and started to bang on the door till one of the guards on duty answered, “Take me back to my room.” The young prince demanded.

The guard just shook his head and pushed Roxas back as he tried to exit, “I’m sorry, but I’m under strict order from King Xehanort to not let you out till the deed is done.” And with that the door was slammed shut and locked once again.

Wide blue eyes looked towards Axel, “What is he talking about?” Roxas demanded with a bitter growl in his voice.

Axel couldn’t make eye contact and looked past Roxas and towards the door, “Father found out that we didn’t do anything last night, and is freaking out that King Ansem will take back the treaty unless we make this marriage binding.” The redhead didn’t sound excited. His voice a monotone drone. With a defeated sigh the man walked away and opened a cabinet, pulling out a bottle filled with amber liquid along with a glass. He filled the glass up and drank the whole thing in one swallow.

Roxas scrunched his nose at the harsh smell of alcohol, “What the hell? I thought you said you would take care of it.” The blond hissed as Axel poured himself another drink, downing it so fast that Roxas doubted his husband even tasted it, “Will you stop drinking so much? Or at least not as fast?”

“Do you want one?” Axel asked lazily, ignoring Roxas’s question. It was never fun drinking alone, regardless of company.

The question caught Roxas off guard, “You can’t be serious.” Dark blue eyes rolled, “Why would I want to drink with you?” The blond crossed his arms over his chest, feeling exposed and cold. He wished he could get dressed but sadly he didn’t have any clothes on him and he doubted that Axel would lend him any pants.

“What? Afraid I’d drink you under the table? I bet you’re a light weight.” The redhead had ditched his glass by this point and took swigs from the bottle; his voice was starting to slur at this point. His vibrant green eyes hazed over.

Roxas glared at the intoxicated man in front of him, “I’ll have you know I can hold my liquor. Now give me a pair of pants.” The blond went towards the wardrobe, but was stopped by a strong hand on his shoulder.

“Ah-uh-uh.” Axel tisked, “Drink first.” He pushed the bottle into his bride’s hands. He really didn’t want to do anything with Roxas, but he knew that his father would never let them leave the room until they had sex. The thought made the redhead sick to his stomach. He didn’t want to touch the small blond in anyway, let alone anything sexual. He hoped that if they were under the influence of alcohol it would make things easier.

Roxas’s gaze kept going from the bottle to Axel’s red-tinted face. He really didn’t want to drink, let alone with Axel, but if it was the only way for him to get some pants on. The blond brought the wide mouthed bottle to his lips and tilted his head back. Blue eyes widened in shock as the strong taste hit his lips.

The young prince doubled over as harsh coughs racked through his body, “What is that?” He managed to wheeze out. He still held the bottle in his shaky hands. He slowly brought it up to his lips and took a smaller sip, letting the alcohol numb his taste buds.

“Whiskey.” Was all Axel said as he grabbed the bottle and took two more swigs. Roxas could see the alcohol taking effect on the redhead from how fast he was drinking. Axel could barely stand straight, he swayed from foot to foot as he tried to keep his balance.

The bottle was handed back to the blond and he dared to take a larger sip. It went down easy so Roxas took another drink. He could feel his brain start to cloud and a strange giddiness take over. Suddenly being only dressed in a towel didn’t bother Roxas. In fact he was starting to feel hot and wouldn’t mind just lounging around in the nude.

Roxas vaguely noticed Axel taking a seat on the edge of his bed and reaching out for the blond. Roxas thought that the redhead wanted the bottle back, but when he went to hand the older man the whiskey, a hand grabbed onto his arm and pulled him close. The young prince cried out in surprise as he was pulled onto the bed, (-and) straddling his husband’s legs. The hand moved from Roxas’s wrist and cupped his face, “Axel,” The blond said in a weary voice, “What are you doing?” He tried to climb off of the man’s lap, but a hand on his hip held him steady.

“Just shut up and drink some more.” Axel snapped. He nudged Roxas’s arm that was holding the bottle to urge him on. The blond looked at the bottle and noted that it was almost empty. With one last uneasy look towards Axel he took the last sip. Green eyes noticed the lack of amber liquid and the man frowned, “Guess that’ll have to do.”

Before Roxas could process what was going on, chapped lips were on his. The blond was frozen for a moment, but it wasn’t until he felt a tongue probe at his lips that the prince pushed Axel away, “What are you doing?”

“Shut up. You look like a girl, but if you talk it kills it.” Axel groaned, as he flipped their positions so the blond was now laying under him. The sudden move made Roxas dizzy and he felt bile start to rise in his stomach, but he managed to push it down just as his husband kissed him again, “You’re not really good at this.” The redhead sighed as he pulled away, “Oh well, can’t be helped. Turn over.”

Roxas didn’t do as Axel asked and instead tried to push the taller man away, “Get away from me!” He yelled. Hoping the guards would hear his cries and intervene.

But no one came.

No one came as Roxas was forced onto his stomach.

And no one came when the towel was ripped away from his trembling frame.


	5. The Aftermath

Blue eyes squeezed shut as Roxas felt hands on his now naked hips. His throat was horse from both the burn of the whiskey and screams for the help that would never come, “Please,” The blond managed to choke out, “Don’t.” He wanted to fight back against his husband’s roaming hands, but he was too weak. His mind was too fuzzy to tell his body how to move. He let out a weak whimper when he felt blunt nails dig into his hips, leaving crescent moon shapes in their place. 

Axel grunted above Roxas as he reached across the blond and grabbed a bottle on his nightstand. Something dripped on the pinned boy’s back as the redhead pulled away. It was cold and left a wet feeling where it landed. Oil. Must have been set out by the maids. 

Roxas gasped when he felt fingers suddenly prod a very intimate place. He turned his head to see his attacker, but all he could see through his tear-blurred vision was Axel’s red hair and lanky frame, “Please.” He tried again, only to receive a harsh slap across his ass; the shock rocking his body forward, making his face dig farther into the plush comforter. 

“I said shut up!” Axel growled as he poured more oil onto his hand. He tried to block out all thought, wanting to get this done with as fast as he could. Roxas had the same body shape as his favorite concubine from this angle which helped, but it was hard for the redhead to keep up with the illusion whenever he heard Roxas’s lower toned pleas verses a woman’s high pitched moans. 

Roxas bit his lip and whimpered as he felt something slick press against his entrance. More tears spilt from his blue eyes, “Please…” He tried again, only to feel another finger join the other and roughly press against his insides in warning. Roxas couldn’t suppress the cry of pain that wracked his small body. 

Soon the fingers left him and something larger and hotter pressed up against him. It didn’t take the blond’s imagination to know what it was. He bit back a cry as Axel roughly pushed into him. Short nails clawed at the comforter till Roxas could feel the stuffing start to come out. 

The pain didn’t stop till Axel fully pushed into Roxas with a groan. By this point the young prince couldn’t hold back a cry as a sharp pain traveled up his spine. His lower half went numb, thanks to the whiskey, as he felt the redhead start to pull out and push back in, not giving Roxas any time to adjust to him. Roxas’s mind started to haze up as he surrendered his body fully to his husband. He couldn’t fight back no matter what he did. There was nothing for him to do but let Axel do whatever he wanted to him. 

Axel dug his nails into Roxas’s pale skin as he tried to get ahold of himself. He could feel his tempter start to rise at the feeling of being in Roxas. The boy was tight, tighter than any woman Axel had ever been with. His drunken mind went blank as instinct began to take over. In and out. Faster. Harder. His body moved on its own as he roughly took the one under him, too wrapped in his own pleasure to hear the cries of pain coming from Roxas or notice his stiff posture. 

The blond somehow managed to push himself up onto his forearms so he was no longer being suffocated by the mattress. The change in position shifted Axel inside of him, making the redhead hit something. Every nerve in Roxas’s body felt like it was on fire, and not in a bad way. A scream ripped through his lips, but it was different than before. There was a hint of pleasure in it as his head fell forward, blond bangs falling into his closed eyes. Suddenly the hot hands that forced his hips back to meet Axel’s hard thrusts didn’t bother him anymore. He could feel his body start to get aroused and it sent a sickening feeling in his stomach. He didn’t want this. Why was his body betraying him?

Soft pants filled the room as Axel kept hitting that spot inside the smaller boy, completely unaware of how Roxas was now reacting. His fingers dug harshly into slim hips as the man started to speed up. His mind hazed over as he reached his peak. Spilling inside of his bride with a harsh bite to the blond’s shoulder to stifle his moan. 

Roxas surprised himself. The feeling of Axel’s warm seed filling him, and the shallow thrusting on his prostate was all the boy needed to reach his end. He collapsed on the bed as he felt Axel roughly pull out and immediately leave for the bathroom. It was in those few moments of silence that everything finally registered to the prince. His body was growing sore from what had just happened and everywhere that Axel had touched still burned, almost like the redhead was still holding him. 

The sound of a shower running filled the room as Roxas laid on the bed and could feel tears slowly start to well up in his eyes. The effect the whiskey had on him was slowly ebbing away, making everything hurt and his head pound. He needed to leave. He didn’t want to be around Axel anymore. But the sharp pains that quaked through his small body every time he tried to move was too much for him to bare. 

It took all of Roxas’s energy just to curl up in a ball and cry himself to sleep. 

~X~x~X~x~ 

Axel stood under the hot shower spray. His head rested against the slick, cool tile as the water ran down his back. What had he done? A bitter taste settled in the man’s mouth as his he fought the urge to throw up. 

He had slept with Roxas. Another man. 

The redhead grabbed the soap and started to scrub at his skin till it turned raw. He could still feel what it was like to hold the small blond, and he didn’t like it. Growling in frustration the prince decided that the shower wasn’t helping and got out. He went back to his room with a towel around his waist to get dressed. 

Green eyes scanned the room and landed on the unmoving frame of Roxas, who had passed out on top of the blankets. Axel couldn’t help the sneer that spread across his face as he looked at the blond. He turned away and went to get dressed. He then went to the door and knocked on it till a guard opened it. 

“Let me out.” The redhead demanded. The guard peered around the prince and nodded once he saw the state Roxas was in. He opened the door more to allow Axel to walk passed him. 

Axel walked down the halls as he made his way down to the royal haram. He planned to grab his concubine in hopes to wash away the dirty feeling that wouldn’t leave him, however he was stopped in his tracks. 

“Axel!” A voice called as a hand grabbed onto his wrist to stop the redhead. Axel turned and saw his younger brother, “Where have you been all day?” Vanitas asked as he let go of his brother. 

“Dad pretty much grounded me and locked me in my room.” The older prince said, not completely lying, “I just managed to convince his personal guard to let me out.” Vanitas nodded his head as he listened to Axel talk, but his eyes drifted around the hall, “What are you looking for?” The redhead asked as he followed Vanitas’s golden eyes. 

“Naminé.” Was all the younger prince said, his eyes never stopping their search. 

Axel arched an eyebrow at that, “Don’t you mean Queen Naminé? You’re in the military so you should know you shouldn’t talk about someone so casual if they have a higher rank than you.” 

“Well she gave me special permission to drop the title. She said it made her feel too old for someone so close to my age.” A cocky smile spread across the raven haired prince’s face. 

Axel crossed his arms and looked down on his brother, “Vanitas, please tell me you’re not getting too close to the Queen. And why is she still here? Didn’t King Cloud leave last night? I could have sworn he come to say goodbye towards the end of the reception.” 

“He left. Naminé stayed behind. She wanted a little vacation.” Vanitas flashed his brother one last smile before he started walking away, “Well if you see Naminé, send her my way. I’ll be out training” And with that the younger prince waved and ran off, leaving Axel alone again. 

With a shrug at how odd his brother was acting, Axel continued on his way to the haram but before he could get far someone else stopped him. With a groan the redhead turned around to see who had called him. 

“Where’s my brother.” Ventus glared at him from the doorway of Roxas’s original room, “Why are all of his things missing from his room. What did your family do with him?” The short blond marched up to Axel with his arms crossed and his eyes narrowed. He meant business. 

“He’s in my room. I don’t know where his things are.” The older prince half lied. The clothes did start out in his room, but now he didn’t know. Maybe the maids picked them up and were washing them, or just simply threw them away, “You might want to bring him a change of clothes.” He tacked on as an afterthought, chuckling as he quickly dodged Ventus and continued on his way. 

The redhead heard the younger prince yell after him, asking what he had meant. But Axel didn't feel like explaining himself. The redhead continued down the long hall, ignoring the blond who was probably glaring daggers into his back. 

~X~x~X~x~ 

Ventus and Sora cracked open the door to Axel’s room, peering inside, “It’s too quiet. Do you think he’s asleep?” Sora asked as he peaked around the door to find his little brother, “He is sleeping! What a lazy bum.” The brunet fully opened the door and stormed in with Ventus hot on his heels with an armful of clothing. 

The two approached the sleeping blond, but stopped when they saw the state the youngest prince was in, “What the hell!?” Ventus yelled as he dropped the clothes and bolted to his brother’s side, “Sora close the door.” Sora did as he was told and went back to the bed. The two looked over their exposed brother and examined the marks that marred his skin. 

“Shit. What happened to him?” The eldest brother asked as he took in his brother’s bruised and battered form. The blond was a mess. There was a defined bite mark on his shoulder and parts of his hips were littered with bruises and- “Are those burns?” Sora reached over to trace the marks, earning a pained moan from the unconscious boy. Roxas shifted away from the hands, revealing a light pink, cloudy substance leaking from the abused body. 

Ventus gently pried open his little brother's legs and swore under his breath, "It looks like Axel wasn't careful and tore him." He grabbed a blanket that was on the couch and tossed it over Roxas, covering the damage. The older blond looked toward his older brother, watching as the brunet shook with anger. “Sora?” 

“I’m going to fucking kill him.” Sora muttered more to himself than to Ventus. 

“What the hell happened to him?” Ventus was practically in tears as he sat next to his twin and started to rub his back. He knew what happened he just didn’t want to admit it, “He was fine a couple of hours ago.” Watery blue eyes looked up at Sora, “We can’t leave him here. These people are psycho.” The brunet prince, tired of looking at his baby brother in such a state. He couldn’t so he turned and started to storm to the door but was called back by Ventus. 

“What do you plan on doing?” The blond hissed as he pulled Roxas closer to him, “The treaty is signed and Roxas is married into the Ignis family.” Ventus’s body showed how tense he was. One of his hands was balled up in the sheets while the other brushed through Roxas’s sweaty hair, “If we do anything we could end up in serous shit.” 

Sora huffed and glared at the discarded towel on the floor and noted that that was a pretty careless place to leave the cloth, “Well we can’t just not do something.” Ventus opened his mouth to say something but the brunet cut him off, “Look Ven, you stay and help Roxas out when he wakes up. But I’m going to go find Axel.” Without listening to Ventus’s protests, Sora stormed out the room. 

~X~x~X~x~ 

“Is everything alright?” A young girl asked. She had bright blue eyes and short black hair. She was currently laying naked under the warm covers with a redhead underneath her. 

Axel sighed and pulled the girl closer to him, hoping the soft skin against his would get rid of the hot sensation Roxas had left on him. So far it wasn’t working, “It’s nothing Xion.” The man replied as he let his hands wonder down the girl’s body, making sure to take pleasure in her thin waist, perky breasts, and other womanly things that Roxas was lacking. 

Xion giggled from the light caresses as she burred her face into the prince’s neck, “You say that, but I’ve known you too long. You’re lying. Now spill.” The raven haired girl sat up and pulled the silk sheet around her as she glared down at the man. She grabbed the roaming hands and was shocked to see fait burn marks on them. Didn’t they hurt? She was about to asked but was cut off by Axel giving her an annoyed sigh. 

“I had to have sex with Roxas.” He said in a monotone voice and turned away from the girl. Almost ashamed to admit it. 

Xion tilted her head in confusion, “But he’s your bride. Aren’t you supposed to do that?” She let go of the hands and started to playfully scratch up and down the redhead’s chest with her perfectly painted nails, making the man twitch away from her. He had always been ticklish and Xion liked to tease him about it. 

“Because it’s a sin.” He grabbed both of the girl’s wrists in one hand to make her stop, “I know things are different where you come from, but here it’s wrong to marry another man.” 

“But you can still sleep with them.” Xion gave Axel one of her wicked grins that reminded the redhead of an old friend that he had lost, “So as far as I see it,” She climbed off of her partner, letting the sheet slide off her, and sat next to him with her legs crossed with no shame, “Neither of you wanted this marriage, so the sex was just sex. It wasn’t making love like what a normal couple would do. So you’re fine.” 

Axel shook his head at that flawed logic, but he couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face, “You know this is why you’re my best friend right?” 

“Oh you don’t mean that.” Xion giggled as she leaned down to kissed Axel before whispering, “So I know you came here for something other than cuddling and moral support.” She caught the man’s earlobe between her teeth and gave it a light pull. 

The redhead groaned as he sat up, taking the girl with him, “I’m sorry, but I can’t.” He sighed as he threw the blanket off of himself and threw his legs over the side of the bed, “I thought if I came here I would be able to take my mind off of the fact that I’m going to be dragged to the darkest pits of Hell because of that freak Father made me marry, but it’s not working.” 

Xion couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face as she hugged her lover from behind, “What did I just say? You really need to learn to listen. Nothing wrong happened between you two-“ 

“I got him drunk and took advantage of him.” The words spilt from the man’s lips before he had a chance to stop it. 

The raven haired girl let go of Axel and made him face her, “You did what?” Her eyes darkened with anger as she latched back onto the man’s arm; the tightness of the hold was almost painful, “Why would you do that?” She seethed. 

“It wasn’t my idea!” Axel tried to pull away, but couldn’t, long nails biting into his skin, “Father wanted us to consummate the marriage so King Ansem wouldn’t be able to take back the treaty. Neither of us wanted to do it so I thought getting drunk would help.” The man’s voice was laced with regret and guilt. The sound of it made Xion release her hold. Her expression lost its anger and was replaced with sadness. 

“Axel…” 

“Don’t want to hear it.” The prince got up and started to dress himself, “I fucked up. I know, but I did what I had to do. Okay? I don’t care if Roxas hates me. Fuck I don’t even like him.” Green eyes closed as Axel tried to calm himself down, “I hate this situation and I wish Father wouldn’t have put me in the middle of this.” He clenched his fists and started to take deep breaths. He wouldn’t lose control. 

“I know Axel. But trust me, everything will work out.” The girl had thrown on a lacy night gown that would be considered risqué from its plunging neckline and high hem that hugged her upper thigh, “Just give it time. You’ll come to like him.” 

Narrowed green eyes glared down at the girl, making her squeak out in shock and back away from the redhead, “I’ll never like that faggot. He’s disgusting and weak. Just like his ill-gotten kingdom. Father made a shit decision with the alliance.” 

It was Xion’s turn to get angry, “That’s enough from you! Do you wish war and destruction on our planet? To send young men away from their family to die for their Kingdoms? Do you like families being torn apart? Are you happy with what happened to me because of this war? You should take pride that you were one of the two links to end all of this madness.” 

Axel just scoffed, “That’s what everyone’s saying, but you’re all wrong. War is a natural thing that humans will never get away from. If not between us and Lamina, then who? Someone will always find a reason to fight someone else. It’s in our nature.” And with that the redhead left the room, making sure to slam the door in a fuming Xion’s face. 

Axel stormed about the castle. Looking for anything to distract him. But none of his normal vices were working. All he wanted to do was go to bed, but since Roxas was officially moved into his room and probably still sleeping he couldn’t go back to his room. Maybe he could convince Reno to let him crash in his room and they could build a blanket fort like old times. Or there was always an open guest room that he could hide away in. 

But luck didn’t seem to be on the prince’s side. Someone grabbed the back of his shirt and spun him around. Angry blue eyes glared up at Axel and before the redhead could react, a fist collided with his jaw, sending the prince stumbling backwards. 

“What the hell did you do to my brother?!” Sora yelled. He raised his fist to hit Axel again, but the redhead was faster and managed to grab a fist full of the other prince’s shirt and lift Sora off the ground so their faces were level. 

“Don’t fucking touch me.” Axel growled as he glared at Sora. He threw the brunet on the ground and started to walk away but was called back. 

“Fight me.” Sora stood up and held Axel’s gaze. The sudden sound of the maids who were working in the area suddenly surrounded the duo, but they ignored the gossip, “One hour outside at the training grounds. I’ll skewer you with your own sword.” Sora challenged. The brunet prince walked away in the direction he had come, ignoring the hushed whispers that followed after him. He needed to go check up on his brother. 

When he got back to the room only Ventus was present and he gave Sora a tired wave, “Hey, Roxas just woke up a few minutes ago. He went to take a shower.” The blond sighed and leaned against the bed’s headboard, “He’s not doing well Sor. He’s trying to hide it, but I know he’s hurting. I don’t know what to do.” Ventus brought his legs up and folded into himself. It was easy to tell from the young boy’s posture that he was distressed. He would do anything to protect his younger twin. And he had failed him. 

Sora sat next to his younger brother and pulled the blond into his side, “I saw Axel.” Ventus turned towards the brunet with a questioning look. But before he could open his mouth to ask Sora was already talking, “I punched him in the face and challenged him to a fight.” 

“What!?” Ventus yelled as he jumped away from Sora like the brunet had burnt him, “Why would you do that? He’s going to kill you!” The younger of the two grew even more worried. He didn’t want to deal with Sora hurting himself and possibly dying. Or worse, starting another war. The Kingdoms were still in an uneasy state even though they were bound together by marriage and the treaty was signed. Still everyone knew that the slightest thing could mean the beginnings of a new war. 

Sora sighed and looked at the closed bathroom door, “We can’t just let him get away with doing that to Roxas! Did you not see those bruises and burn marks?” 

“I did.” Ventus’s dark blue eyes looked down in guilt, “But there’s got to be something else we can do. It’ll just defeat the purpose if you get hurt in the process too. 

The two continued to bicker back and forth. Neither of them noticed the sound of the shower stopping. Roxas stood next to the closed door and listened to his brothers’ fight. He didn’t want Sora to fight Axel on his behalf, but he knew his older brother wouldn’t listen to reason. The young blond pressed his back against the cold door and closed his eyes. How did everything get so screwed up in such a small span of time?


	6. The Fight

“Sora this is stupid. Just call it off.” Ventus wouldn’t let the subject drop. Even as he watched his brother grab a sword and started to strap it to his hip, “Do you even know how to fence?”

Sora stopped strapping himself with armor and looked at the blond over his shoulder, “Who said anything about fencing? That’s kid stuff. I want his blood all over the training field. He won’t get away with what he did to Roxas.”

“That didn’t answer my question. Do you know how to use a sword?” Ventus had said his opinion on the whole fight, but since his older brother didn’t seem to care about what the young blond had to say, Ventus just decided that he would be the annoying little brother that he was born to be, “Because I don’t remember you ever taking the incentive and going out to train. Have you even lifted a sword before?”

Sora growled low in his throat while he fiddled with the strap on his waist as he tried to tighten it, “Shut up Ven.” Once the sword was secure and he was wearing light and efficient armor the prince gave his younger brother his trademark smile that could blind anything in its path, “So, are you ready for this?”

“You know I’m not.” The blond sighed as he followed his brother out of the small armory that held supplies for the training soldiers.

The brothers stepped out to the setting sun glaring in their eyes. The air was thick around them as they got closer to the open space that was used as the training grounds. The place was well used, to the point that grass had stopped growing in the area. It was large enough to have several battles going on at the same time with none of them interfering with the other. There were benches surrounding the perimeter, which were currently filled with servants and soldiers alike, waiting for the big match to start. At the far end stood Axel and Reno. The two princes quietly talked to one another. The older of the two looked livid as he harshly whispered something to his brother and hastily shoved a heavy looking sword into his hand. Axel didn’t look happy as he watched his brother leave. His toxic green eyes slowly left Reno’s retreating form and settled on Sora and Ventus.

Sora felt his heart start to pound in his chest as Axel straightened his posture and held his sword in two hands, pointing it at the brunet, “So, little prince,” The redhead called out in a mocking tone, “Do you want to surrender to me now or wait till they have to cart your body off?”

Sora grit his teeth and drew his sword from where it hung on his hip, “Who are you calling little? One day I’ll be king and you’ll have to come begging for my forgiveness.” The prince glared at Axel as he mimicked the redhead’s stance.

That seemed to shut all the spectators up and a silence fell over the training grounds as Axel and Sora stared one another down. The tension grew thick as the spectators sat on the edge of their seats. Then in a blink of an eye Axel rushed towards Sora, barely giving the younger prince time to ready himself and block the attack which sent a loud ring throughout the court.

~X~x~X~x~

Roxas held back a scream as he pulled Ventus’s clothes on. He had taken a burning, hot shower to calm his aching muscles, and while it did help, the small blond was still in pain. Axel hadn’t been gentle with him and now Roxas had to pay for it. 

But right now the prince didn’t have time to dwell on his own plight. He had to go save Sora from killing himself. As much as Roxas loved his older brother, he sure as hell thought that their kingdom’s future king could be an idiot.

Once dressed, Roxas hurried out of his and Axel’s room and down the surprisingly deserted halls. The echo of the prince’s steps bounced off the walls as he rushed through the castle. Roxas didn’t know when it happened, but he had become hopelessly lost. All the halls looked the same, and with no one around to ask for help Roxas didn’t know where to go.

“Can I help you?” A small voice said, surprising Roxas and making him jump. He turned to see a girl a little shorter than him. Her messy black bangs fell into her large blue eyes, and she wore a fine silk dress that complemented her pale completion. She approached Roxas with the grace that could rival Kairi, “You must be my lord’s new bride. My name’s Xion.” She curtsied once she was close to the prince with a small smile, “I couldn’t help but notice you looked a little lost. Do you need any help?”

Roxas stared at the girl for a second before saying, “I need to get outside. My brother got himself into some trouble and I need to stop him before he does something reckless.”

Xion nodded in understanding as her smile slowly faded, “Correct me if I’m wrong, but would you happen to be talking about the match between Prince Sora and Axel, correct?” The girl had heard of the duel and just like Roxas she was against it.

Roxas, not noticing the way Xion had said Axel’s name so casually, stared ahead of himself. It seemed word had gotten around about the fight pretty fast. He just hoped his father and King Xehanort haven’t gotten wind of it yet, “I need to get out there.” The blond took a step, biting his tongue as he limped down the hall

The young girl grabbed the prince’s hand and started to lead him down the halls, “Yes we do. From what I’ve heard Axel was pretty upset about what the young heir did and isn’t going to go easy on him.” She grabbed ahold of the prince and hurried him around the castle but had to stop when the blond cried out in pain and fell to his knees, “Roxas!” Xion knelt next to the prince and gently rubbed his back, “I’m sorry. I forgot about what happened. I shouldn’t have moved you around so hastily.”

Roxas froze and pulled away from the girl, “What did you say?” He asked with a horror stricken expression.

Xion covered her mouth at the slip up, “Oh! Umm….nothing. It’s nothing Prince Roxas. Please ignore it.” Xion knew she shouldn’t have said anything. Only King Xehanort and his two guards would know about what had taken place earlier. She stood up and held her hand out to help the blond up, “I’m very sorry my prince. Think nothing of it. Just let me help you.”

Hesitantly Roxas took the hand and let the girl help pull him up, “Th-thank you.” He brushed himself off and once ready, Xion led him towards the training grounds.

The sound of cheering and clashing steel greeted Roxas and Xion when they stepped outside. Axel and Sora were so quick on their feet as they slashed at one another that Roxas had a hard time keeping track of them. One moment Sora would be slashing at Axel’s face, and the next he would be dogging a deadly jab to his side.

Then something happened.

With swift movements, Sora lunged at Axel. Their swords clashed and in the blink of an eye the redhead was able to shove the brunet backwards. Stumbling back, Sora growled as Axel slashed at him. The younger prince dodged, rolling out of the way. However just as he gazed up, Axel raised his blade high in the air. Green eyes glazed over with a murderous intent.

Ventus was in the crowd, hand cupped around his mouth as he yelled for his brother to move out of the way. Reno was glaring at his brother, arms crossed in annoyance at yet another mess that he had nothing to do with but was bound to get in trouble for. Vanitas was smirking as he looked on, amused at the sight. Kairi and Naminé held onto one another at the frightening scene that was unfolding in front of them. Their twin doe eyes glued onto the sight of Axel and Sora. There were ants and cheers coming from the guards and other troops that were at the training grounds. All cheering for their Prince to finish off the fallen Sora.

Xion covered her mouth with her free hand as a silent gasp slipped passed her lips. Her large eyes pleading for Axel to stop. But the redhead didn’t even notice her. Roxas looked on with fear cursing through his body. His brother was going to be killed if he didn’t do something. Without thinking, Roxas dropped the hand that was in Xion’s grasp and raced towards the battle ground. His heart was hammering as his throat became dry. And suddenly all the noise deafened to Roxas’s ears. All the blond could hear were his boots pounding on the dirt and the thumping of his heart. All he could see was Axel running towards a kneeling Sora. He was close. So close.

The heavy sword was coming down at the defenseless brunet fast. But Roxas was faster. He managed to get to Sora’s side, but he wasn’t fast enough get his brother out of the way. Instead he acted as a shield. A sharp pain cut into Roxas’s chest and across his small torso as a scream ripped from his throat. All the pained blond could see was red as he collapsed, clutching at his chest. A red river gushed from the fallen boy as everything that had happened hit him full force.

Voices sounded above Roxas, but everything was starting to grow hazy and he couldn’t make sense of any of it.

“Holy Shit Roxas!”

“What’s going on here?”

“Get out of the way! We need to take him to the hospital wing!”  
Then the burning pain came as Roxas’s breath refused to catch, and everything started to go black.

~X~x~X~x~

“What happened? And don’t try to lie.” Ansem was livid as he paced the throne room. Axel and Sora both stood in front of their fathers with guilt stricken looks. Xehanort sat on his throne. He had yet to say anything, but just one look at the man and Axel knew he was in serious trouble.

The redhead opened his mouth to say something but Sora cut him off, “It wasn’t my fault! Axel hurt Roxas and-“

“I don’t want to hear it.” Ansem roared at his son. He didn’t like what his son had said and would make sure to talk to King Xehanort about it, once the two princes were sentenced their punishments, “Why is Roxas in the infirmary? And I don’t want to hear any more excuses or blaming someone else. You’re both at fault for this.” 

Both princes looked down in shame, neither wanting to talk as the blond king ranted. It wasn’t until the large doors leading to the hallway opened and a nurse stepped in, did attention snap away from Ansem and to her, “My Lords,” She panted and bowed towards the royals, “Pardon for the intrusion, but Prince Roxas’s condition is stable. He lost a lot of blood, but we managed to stitch up his wound before he lost too much to be saved. He will be anemic for the next few of weeks till his body can recuperate for it. Once he’s fully healed he should be back to normal, but will have a large scar on his torso for the rest of his life. For now though, I’d advice for him not to be moved too much and have plenty of bed rest and take pills to help his body restore its lost blood.”

“Can we see him?” Sora asked in a timid voice. He knew his father wouldn’t let him go, not until he was done with him, but the brunet just needed to know his brother was alright. And if he was allowed visitors then that was a good sign.

“Yes.” The nurse nodded in Sora’s direction with a small, relieved smile on her face, “He’s up and well. Prince Ventus and Princess Kairi are with him at the moment in a private room.”

Ansem nodded, showing the woman that her presence was no longer needed. The nurse bowed and turned to leave, but hesitated for a moment before saying, “King Ansem, while examining the young prince we found strange burn marks on his hips and side. We’re not sure where they came from, but we treated them nonetheless and they should heal soon and not scar.” With that said, the nurse bowed once again and left the room.

“How did he get burned there?” The blond king asked Xehanort. The older of the two still sat in his throne and was looking bored.

“Isn’t it obvious?” The older king replied as he stood from his throne and approached Ansem, “The great Ifrit has graced our sons with his blessing when they consummated their marriage.” Axel’s face flushed in embarrassment as his father mentioned what had taken place earlier, “But that’s not important right now. Now we need to give our sons their proper punishments.”

Ansem agreed with the older man and the two both turned to their respective son, “Sora,” Ansem addressed the brunet, “Since you obviously want to fight, you’ll be placed in the lowest ranks of the Lamina army. You will listen to your commanding officer and learn how to control yourself. Have I made myself clear?”   
“Yes, sir.” Sora wasn’t looking forward to joining the army. He joined when he turned fifteen but quickly dropped after just a month. He found that couldn’t handle the hard work, diligent work. And having someone scream at him all the time put the prince on edge and he would always find himself hiding in a dark corner, crying.

“And you Axel,” Xehanort gave his son a leering glance and a smirk, “You’ll act as Prince Roxas’s personal care giver. I want you by his side all day, every day. You’ll learn how to change his bandages and clean his wounds accordingly. If he asks for anything, you are to drop what you are doing and comply. You’re not to get a servant to do it for you. You have to do everything on your own. I don’t care if he asks for a pet parrot fish. You’ll go to the nearest coast and splash around in the ocean till you find one.”

“And if I don’t?” The redhead sneered. There was no way in hell he would spend any more time than what was necessary with his ‘wife’.

“You will. Now you’re dismissed.” At Xehanort’s words both Sora and Axel bowed and walked out of the throne room, leaving the kings behind.

“You’re being very lenient on Axel, seeing as how he cut my son down and didn’t seem to show any remorse for it.” The blond king was starting to grow weary and was doubting signing the treaty too soon. And it was starting to show.

Xehanort couldn’t help but laugh at that, earning a glare from the blond king, “Yes, my sons do tend to have a heartless streak from time to time, but I believe taking care of Roxas will set Axel straight. It’ll make him show some compassion, don’t you think?”

“You better be right Xehanort. I won’t tolerate any more grievances for my son.”

~X~x~X~x~

 

“I’m sorry Rox.” Ventus frowned as he sat next to his brother’s side. He grabbed his twin’s hand and gave it a squeeze. His hand looked so much darker than Roxas’s now sickly pale flesh.

Roxas mirrored his older brother’s expression as he laid in the stiff cot, “Why? You tried to stop Sora. None of this is your fault. If anything it’s-“

“It’s mine. It’s my fault.” Ven blurted out, “If I wasn’t faking sick to get out of the negotiation meeting King Xehanort would have probably set his eyes on me, or if not I would have made sure I was offered up instead of you. None of this should have happened to you. I should have been there to stop any of this.”

“Ventus,” Kairi said in her soft voice, grabbing both boy’s attention. The girl stood next to the private room’s door, “Please don’t blame yourself for this. What’s done is done. And even if you had been there, Father would have taken Roxas, even if you tried to persuade him.”

Ventus pouted as he tried to think of a comeback. All he wanted to do was protect Roxas. And now the poor boy was injured in more ways than one and looked like death himself.

“I’m not mad at you.” Roxas smiled at his brother and tried to sit up, only to grit his teeth in pain at the feeling of his stitches being pulled. With a frown the blond settled back down, “Ven, no one blames you and Kairi’s right, even if you had been there, there’s no guarantee that you’d be in my position.”

Suddenly the door opened and Axel stormed in the room. A small, timid looking, girl with long, wavy, brown hair and green eyes following close behind him, “Out.” Was all the redhead said as he lazily pointed towards the open door.

“No.” Ventus glared at his brother’s husband with disdain. He failed Roxas once, and he would make sure it never happened again, “You get out.”

“I’m afraid he can’t.” The timid looking girl said behind the prince. All eyes turned to her, making the poor girl back up into a wall and try to make herself look as small as possible, “Prince Axel is under strict orders from King Xehanort to take care of Prince Roxas.”

Ventus’s blue eyes darted between Axel and the girl as he gripped at his brother’s cold hand. He went to ask who exactly the girl was, but another voice beat him to it, “And who exactly are you?” Roxas asked in a cool voice. He didn’t mean for it to come out like that, but he was tired and all of the bodies in the room that were preventing him from sleeping were starting to irritate him.

“I’m Olette. I’m training to become a nurse for the castle and was placed to supervise Prince Axel and keep an eye on your condition.” The girl bowed to Roxas, “I’m sorry but I’d advise you to leave, Prince Ventus, Princess Kairi. Prince Roxas needs his rest.”

Ventus opened his mouth to argue but a gentle hand on his upper arm shut him up. One look into Kairi’s soft but stern eyes and the blond let himself be led out of the room. Once the door shut Olette approached Roxas with a small, reassuring smile, “I’m sorry my prince-“

“Roxas.” The blond said, “If you’re going to be here for as long as I think, it’ll make things easier if you stop being so formal.” That got Roxas a scoff from Axel, who was leaning against the wall near the door. The younger prince glared at the redhead as Olette started talking again.

“Roxas, do you mind if I open your shirt? I need to show Axel how to take care of your wounds.” She waved the other prince over as she started to unbutton Roxas’s white shirt.

Roxas didn’t say anything as he felt small, delicate hands push his shirt fabric out of the way. He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath as the bandage was cut off. It wasn’t until he felt a large, warm hand with callused fingers touch his sensitive skin did blue eyes shoot open and a weak fist went flying towards Axel.

“Don’t touch me!” Roxas sat up, ignoring the harsh protest of the stitches as he tried to get away from Axel, “Get away from me.” He growled.

“Oh!” Olette gasped as small pools of blood started to leak from the pulled stitches, “Roxas you need to lay down so Axel can-“

“No! I don’t want him near me!” The blond snapped as he pushed himself into the headboard.

Axel just shrugged and went to go to the door but was stopped by Olette, who was already looking exhausted and tired of her new job, “Roxas, I’m afraid I can’t do that. Axel’s under orders to take care of you.”

“I don’t care. Get him out of my room. I don’t want him anywhere near me.” Axel tried to step closer to the edge of the bed, guided by a pushing hand on his back, but was violently kicked at by the weak blond.

With a frustrated grunt Axel grabbed the leg and pulled Roxas till the blond was laying down. A fist went flying but the redhead easily grabbed it and pinned the hand next to Roxas’s head. Blue eyes widened as Roxas violently started to thrash around. He didn’t want this. He didn’t want Axel near him, let alone being pinned down by him like this. He was too strong. Roxas couldn’t fight him off and he didn’t like it.

Tears started to leak form crystal blue eyes as Roxas fought to get Axel off of him. The pain in his chest was completely forgotten.

“Would you hold still!?” Axel growled at the boy beneath him, “Do you want your wound to get worse, or do you get off on me hurting you?” When Roxas’s movements didn’t stop the redhead leaned in close, so Olette couldn’t hear, and whispered into the blond’s ear, “Look, I’m sorry okay? I didn’t want to do that. But I had no choice.” He felt the trashing slowly stopping, but Roxas was still tense.

Axel made quick work of redressing the younger prince’s wounds, while a watchful Olette gave him instructions. More bandage had to be used than before, to help put pressure on the places where Roxas had pulled his stitches, and more ointment had to be applied. The whole time Roxas had his hand firmly clamped into Olette’s for some comfort and support. When the blond was redressed, Axel had to help him sit up so he could take a couple of pills.

Once Roxas was settled back down he blankly stared up at the ceiling, “You need your rest. We’ll leave you alone now. Axel will come in every hour to check on you and see if you need anything.” When no response came from the blond, the nurse ushered Axel out and gently closed the door.


	7. The Day Before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god I'm so sorry for not updating in so long! My life kinda went down hill for a bit, but now I'm back on my feet and things are looking good.
> 
> On a different note, I want to work on this story for National Writers Month. Best case scenario by December this store will be 50k words higher. Worst case scenario, this story reaches 50k words.
> 
> Also in December I'm going to go back and edit everything, so if there's anything in the story that doesn't make sense or any inconsistencies please let me know so I can fix it :) thank you loves

"What are you saying Ansem?" King Xehanort asked from his throne. He had been called back to the room by the Lamia King and Queen not too long ago. A day had passed since Roxas had been put under Axel's care and the old king was pleased to hear no complaints from his son. Only the nurse had commented on Roxas's odd behavior towards being touched by the redhead, but Xehanort didn't care about that.

"Like I said when I asked for this summons, we talked it over and we think it would be best for Roxas's recovery if he was back home. Then we can have our own ball celebrating our kingdoms' union. It would help bring morale to Lamina."

That got an annoyed grunt from the older king, "This is his home now. He married into my family. He should recover here, then I will release both him and Axel into your care for your celebration." Xehanort looked between the royals with a cold smile.

Queen Terra stepped up and gave the old king a pleading look, "King Xehanort, you must understand not as a ruler, but as a parent, that we are deeply worried about our son and want to stay by his side at this time, but we cannot afford to be away from Lamina any longer." Her big, purple eyes looked to her husband for some support but before Ansem could talk, Xehanort spoke up.

"The doctors and nurses told you that Roxas should not be moved, correct? Why would you compromise your son's health for you own selfish reasons?"

"You are being foolish Xehanort. Roxas is still my son until the day I am dead. And we have only been here for three days and look at how he has been treated! If you wish to continue to be a stubborn old man over such minimal things then perhaps you still yarn for war. I am taking my son back home, with or without Prince Axel. He may come at his own pace and receive a different punishment in pare to taking care of Roxas. I will take no more argument from you." It was obvious that the blond king wasn't going to back down. He was dead set on taking his youngest son back home and nothing was going to stop him.

"Hmm…" Xehanort stroked his thin, grey beard in thought, "My son shall go with you. I hope you'll take his punishment seriously and not let him slack off. I'll personally make sure that your carriage and horses are set to go in the morning and my servant will be up and ready to pack your things then as well. I'll also send Olette along to make sure Prince Roxas's health is stable for your trip. If you see this as a means to start a war again, then I'll see to it that it doesn't happen."

~X~x~X~x~

"Roxas please, lay back down." A worried Olette said as she tried to pull the young prince back to his and Axel's shared room, "You look pale and Axel will be back shortly to give you your medicine and change your bandages."

The blond pulled his arm away from the girl, "I don't want him touching me anymore. Plus I need to find my clothes that he threw away." Roxas continued his way down the hall with his personal nurse close behind him, almost like a second shadow.

"You don't need to worry about your clothes. They have been collected by the maids and are currently being washed for you. Now will you please get into bed?" The woman seemed tired. Her chartreuse eyes were lined with deep bags of worry and lack of sleep.

But Roxas wasn't having any of that. He didn't listen to the girl's pleas and begging. He needed to get away from Axel. He needed a hot shower and maybe something to drink so he could forget about his husband's rough touches and how he had violated his body. But most of all he just needed to be alone.

"Olette," Roxas stopped dead in his tracks, making the small girl bump into his back; he silently cursed from the sharp pain that shot up his spine and through his chest, "I promise I'll go lay down and relax, but first I just need to go think. I won't be gone long. I promise." The prince's big blue eyes pleaded with the nurse.

"Ten minutes." Olette said with her arms crossed, "You have ten minutes then I want you in bed resting. We don't need you tearing your stitches or over exhausting yourself. The ride back to Lamina will be hard on you so we need to make sure you're nice and rested for tomorrow morning's departure."

"Thank you Olette!" Roxas pulled the girl into a gentle hug before continuing down the hall. He went through some twist and turns. The blond tried to get himself familiarized with his new home; making him shiver at the thought. He didn't want this being his new home. This place seemed so dark and cold. He wanted to go back to Lamina with his family and stay there without Axel. Was that too much to ask for?

As Roxas neared the end of the guestroom wing he had to rest against a wall as the stiches started to pull tightly against his chest. Pained breaths escaped the teen's lips as he tipped his head back on the cool wall. Roxas didn't know how long he was there, but the sound of a door creaking open and closing snapped the prince back into reality.

"Queen Naminé?" Roxas called out. He didn't know the royals of Tacet were still in the castle. He had thought everyone left shortly after the wedding.

The blonde woman jumped at her name. Scared blue eyes made contact with Roxas. But the queen didn't spare any words as she turned and ran from the prince as fast as she could, leaving Roxas confused. He didn't understand what had happened. Usually Queen Naminé was polite and would greet others. But now she looked scared and guilty. Something had to be wrong. Maybe she just wasn't feeling like herself since King Cloud had left the night before?

A sudden itch on Roxas's back made him twitch and instinctively reach behind himself to scratch. Nope. Bad idea. Blood started to soak through the thin fabric of his shirt, and a blind pain shot through Roxas's frail body. He needed to find help.

~X~x~X~x~

"Doesn't that hurt?" Ventus asked as he cleaned off some blood from Roxas's chest. The youngest twin was lucky that his brother was moved to a room not far from where Queen Naminé was. And of course Ventus would be there packing.

Roxas just shrugged, making him grimace from the pull of his stitches and the burn from the antiseptic, "N-nah. I'll live." He sighed and looked up at the smooth ceiling, letting everything that had happened to him sink in, "Do you think I can get the marriage annulled?" The question was sudden and said absentmindedly. Roxas turned his head and meet his brother's shocked expression with his own serious one, "I mean, look at what he's done to me? No one's happy with this, so why should I suffer?"

Ventus just shook his head and continued to clean the large cut, "It's not that simple you know. You're marriage also helps the morale of everyone else in all of the kingdoms. Yes our father and King Xehanort fight and threaten war still, but as long as you are with Prince Axel, nothing can happen. You are the glue holding this whole thing together, Roxas. If you try anything to get out of this marriage it can cause a fall out so huge that it would put the pervious war to shame. I know how head strong and stubborn you can be, but please be cautious with how you act. No one's asking you to love him, but please just play nice."

Roxas didn't like that. He just wanted to go home and pretend that the last few days were a bad dream. Hell that's what it felt like. Things that the blond never thought would ever happen to him did. He just wanted out of this already.

"I can't get the bleeding to stop. I'm going to find Olette." The older twin frowned as he studied the stitches that looked like they had loosened a bit too much and a lot of blood started to seep out, "I'll be right back."

~X~x~X~x~

Xion pouted from her perch on Axel's bed as she watched the redhead violently shove his clothes into a large suitcase, "You know your father pays people to do this for you right?" She folded her legs in a relaxed crisscross position, intertwined her fingers with her toes, and leaned forward. Completely relaxed with her surroundings.

"And you know I don't care. Those daft maids always forget to pack one thing or another. I'd rather do this myself and make sure everything's here." Axel grabbed a shirt out of his wardrobe, balled it up, and then absently tossed it in the general direction of his suitcase.

Xion huffed and grabbed the shirt to start folding it, "Well if you don't want help then at least pack it properly." The young girl finished folding the shirt and reached into the suitcase to fold something else, "For crying out loud I'm your concubine, not your personal maid. I technically shouldn't even be here. Concubines shouldn't leave their section of the castle unless their master wants them." The raven haired girl pointed out matter-o-factly.

"I want you." Axel said as he inspected a pair of pants for holes before tossing it at Xion, "But just not for sex. I just need someone who's not completely insane and not blond."

The small concubine smiled at her master's back as she carefully folded the pants, "Oh so this is about Roxas, huh? You really should give him a chance. Even if it's not romantic, who wants to be married to someone that they're not even friends with?"

Axel turned around and glared at Xion, his venomous colored eyes burning holes into her, "Well besides the fact that he's a fag and I don't want him or his family damming me."

"Oh fuck that. You had sex with him too. By your logic you're already dammed! So please use your punishment to get to know the young prince. He's hurting just as much as you if not more. So please take care of him and show him that you're the good person I know you are."

The prince couldn't help but snort at that. He grabbed a couple of reading books and tossed them on the bed, half expecting Xion to pack them for him, "Me? When have I ever been nice?" He sat down next to the girl and stared at his empty wardrobe, "Look what I've done during this war. Hell, look what I've done to you!" Green eyes meet blue. One filled with guilt and the other with pity.

"Oh, you poor, sweet, simple man." Xion crawled closer to Axel and cupped his face so he was forced to look at her, "It was a war. You got no say in the matter. I don't blame you for what happened, but if you can't forgive yourself then please do something for me as retribution. Please show Roxas mercy. Show him the mercy your family wouldn't give me and my family."

Axel bite his bottom lip. He didn't want to. Lamina had been his sworn enemy his whole life. But he owed Xion so much, "Okay. I'll do it for you." He couldn't help the scowl that was plastered on his face. That didn't seem to bother Xion. In fact she seemed pleased with the redhead.

"Thank you, my lord." The girl leaned over and kissed the prince, "You know I'll miss you while you're gone. Do you know how long that'll be?"

"I don't know. Until Roxas is healed I guess." Axel sighed and got back up and started grabbing things off of his vanity. He had so much to pack in such a short amount of time.

~X~x~X~x~

Xion gently closed Axel's bedroom door behind her. Olette had come to fetch the prince not too long ago saying something about Roxas needing his help. It left her to finish the packing. Not that she minded, Xion was happy that her master agreed to help his bride without any argument. It was small, but it was still a step in the right direction.

Xion turned to walk down the hall, only to meet a hard surface, "Ow! Watch where you're going idiot!" She glared up at the surprised brunet only to gasp and straighten up, "Oh, I'm sorry Prince Sora. Excuse me." She curtsied and backed up a few steps. Her head bowed down.

The prince just laughed, "Don't be. It was my fault. I wanted to ask you something and didn't expect you to turn so suddenly." They fell into an awkward silence as Xion waited for Sora to ask his question. She started to feel uncomfortable as the boy stared at her.

"And what would your question be my lord?" She took an uncomfortable step back.

Xion' voice seemed to snap Sora out of whatever thought he was stuck on, "Sorry," He rubbed the back of his head and laughed again, "I can just swear I've seen you before."

The concubine gave an uncomfortable laugh, her eyes still glued to the ground, "I helped bring in your family's luggage when you arrived her, sire."

"Yeah. You were the girl that ran away from me if I remember right, but that's not it." Sora bent down to get a better look at the girl's face.

"Sora!" A loud voice boomed down the hall, grabbing the young prince's attention away from the girl. Ansem stood at the other end of the hall, an annoyed look on his face, "Shouldn't you be checking on your brother?"

Sora looked torn between going towards his father and figuring out who this strange girl was, "In a minute Father. I was just talking to umm….I'm sorry I didn't catch your name." The prince turned back to the girl, completely unaware of how uncomfortable she was.

"That's not important right now. She's just a servant girl. Your brother needs you more." The king's voice was stern and commanding.

But still Sora didn't move.

"Now." Ansem wasn't playing around anymore. His amber eye bore into his son. Sora jumped, knowing not to push his father too far, and with a quick apology to Xion he jogged up to the king, "Go to Ventus's room and check up on your brothers."

"I was, but I got lost and was about to ask for directions." The brunet pointed towards Xion.

Ansem pinched his nose in irritation and took a breath, "Just go down that hall. He's the fourth door on the right." Without another word Sora marched in the direction his father was pointing to. Once the prince was out of ear shot Ansem approached the nervous girl, "My apologizes for being rude and interrupting your conversation, but you must understand Sora has many important things occupying his mind right now. And as the future king I expect him to learn and do as much as he can. The boy already gets distracted enough as is without pretty girls getting in the way. I hope you understand that I don't want a servant girl hindering him from his destiny."

Xion curtsied, head still bowed, "I didn't mean to cross any bounders your Highness. Prince Sora snuck up behind me. It won't happen again."

Ansem put a hand on the girl's shoulder so she had to look up at him, "I know this isn't a position you'd like to be in, and I wish there was something I could do about it. But please, just try to learn your new role here and not make things more complicated by getting yourself involved with any of my children."

"I know Sire. I am Prince Axel's concubine and I'm happy to have such an opportunity to be here. I wouldn't wish to get in anyone's way by overstepping any boundaries."

That made the king's frown deepen, "I don't know how I feel about your master keeping you around as his personal sex toy; especially now that my son's in the picture. I can see if I can sway King Xehanort into giving you a new job here. Maybe as one of Princess Kairi's ladies in waiting."

"If you think that is best." Xion bowed, "Thank you, your Highness, I am most grateful to you. I should go back to my room for the night."

Sad amber eyes watched as the girl walked down the hall, "Poor girl."

~X~x~X~x~

"Will you fucking hold still?" Axel growled. His fingers were bloody and the needle was starting to slip from his grip. His other hand was harshly pinning a shoulder into the mattress.

"You don't have to be so rough." Olette snapped from the other side of the bed, "It's just a couple of stitches that need to be replaced. " She glared at the redhead. The nurse would have fixed up the ripped stitches herself, but under her king's orders, Prince Axel had to tend to his husband's wounds, she was only there to supervise, "And Roxas, he's right. You need to hold still or he'll just hurt you more."

Roxas withered when he felt the sharp tip of the needle press against his skin. He wouldn't stop his squirming until Axel removed the needle from his skin, "Nnnn…" He didn't want Axel doing this. He tried to kick his legs, only to be stopped by his brothers holding them down, "Hurts." He moved away from Axel once again, getting an annoyed growl from the redhead. He faintly heard Olette and Ventus call out orders and suggestions to the redhead.

"Everyone out!" Axel yelled. He had enough of all the bodies moving around and everyone barking orders. He knew how to patch up a wound. It was basic training he had to learn when he was in the military during the war. He had retired his position a few months before his spontaneous engagement to help rebuild the torn down town in his own kingdom.

"No." Sora let go of Roxas's leg and glared at the redhead, "You're just going to hurt him again if we leave you alone." That statement brought a whimper out of the pinned blond.

"D-don't go!" Roxas pushed against Axel as he tried to sit up. He blindly reached forward, fighting against the ripping pain in his chest. He calmed down when he felt Ventus grab his hand.

"You need to calm down." A comforting hand ran through Roxas's hair as his twin tried to get him to lay down again, "We'll be right outside, okay? Just yell and I'll be in to kick that jerk's ass." He pointed at Axel. Ventus grabbed a protesting Sora and dragged him out of the room with Olette following close behind.

Axel let out a sigh of relief once the door closed, "Thank god. I couldn't concentrate with your brothers glaring holes into my head." The redhead reached for Roxas to position him in a better angle, but the blond pushed him away, "Look kid, I know we don't see eye to eye at all, but your life is literally in my hands right now. So stop being so stubborn for like five minutes and let me fix you up."

"My life wouldn't be in your hands if you didn't stab me." The blond huffed, but he stilled nonetheless.

"Not like I was aiming for you."

"You were aiming to kill my brother. I'd rather it be like this than without Sora."

"Well if you're content with this then be still so I can fix you up." At those words Roxas stop fidgeting. The only sound he made were little gasps of pain whenever he felt the needle penetrate his skin. After a few minutes of this Axel grew bored and started talking, "You know if my mother was still around none of this would have happened at all." He didn't know why he brought up such a touchy subject like the late queen, but he did, "She was a very nice and understanding person. I think you would have liked her." He pulled the last stitch tight and cut the excess thread, "I think she would have liked you." He seemed to hesitate the last part as he got up and went to the ensuite bathroom to wet a rag, and didn't start speaking again until he was standing over the blond and gently wiping the blood away, "She would have known not to force..." Axel paused as he looked into vacant blue eyes, "She wouldn't have forced me to rape you." He quickly said, "She would have known neither of us would have benefited from it, and would have said screw tradition before making us do something like that. That's just the kind of woman she was…" The prince sighed. He missed his mother so much.

Axel helped the blond sit up so he could wrap Roxas's chest. The younger not saying a single word the whole time. Axel couldn't help but grow annoyed. He had just spilt his metaphorical guts out to a kid he could barely stand. And Roxas couldn't even manage a simple "I'm sorry."

"Okay, well you're done. Don't bother me again because you did something stupid." The redhead sharply turned and violently opened the door, only to have a blond and brunet come stumbling in, "God, you really thought I was going to hurt him didn't you? Fuck I'm done with you." He gave Roxas one last glare before storming off.

It was going to be a long trip to Lamina.


	8. The First Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First chapter for NaNo!

It was unusually hot this summer morning. Axel could feel sweat slowly start to drip down his neck as he stood outside, carefully saddling up Zephyr for their long journey. He had been woken up earlier than usual by a maid. The young woman had informed him that they had a detour which meant an earlier depart time. The maid quickly left after relaying the message, but not before giving Axel a dirty look when she spotted Roxas sleeping on the couch with nothing more than a thin blanket covering his small frame.

"Axel." Reno called, snapping his younger brother out of his thoughts, "Are you going to be okay?" The eldest prince wore a worried frown on his face. He didn't look happy with his brother leaving at all, "You're not going to cause any more problems right?"

The younger prince scowled, "And what's that supposed to mean?" He crossed his arms and glared at Reno.

"Will you stop being so defensive? I just mean you haven't left the best impression on Roxas or his family."

"Yeah!" Kairi peeked out from behind Reno's shoulder, startling both men who didn't see her at first, "When you two come back Roxas better not have anything wrong with him, I'll personally see to you being castrated." The little princess' words seemed all the more threating by the girl's large smile.

Axel would have taken a step backwards to get away from his psychotic little sister, but Zephyr got in his way. He cleared his throat to make sure Kairi didn't hear how nervous he was, "I won't. I was thinking I need to make it up to Roxas anyway. You know for the…" He made a slashing motion across his chest. That was at least he could do.

Reno smiled and clasped Axel on the shoulder, "Good for you. I know you two will work through this."

"That's easy for you to say." The younger prince pouted, "Your fiancée's a woman. I got stuck with a rotten-"

"Don't even finish that thought Axel." Kairi warned. It had become apparent that the girl had fully welcomed Roxas into their family and would do anything to protect him like any good sister would.

"Anyway, we should let you finish getting ready. We'll see you in a couple of months." Reno and Kairi gave their brother one last hug before disappearing into the castle. The redhead let out a sigh. He suddenly felt all alone. He would be traveling alone, to a kingdom he had never been to before, with people who he knew didn't like him. For the first time in a long time Axel was scared.

~X~x~X~x~

Roxas was rushing. He heard Axel wake up in the morning, but he was just so tired and strained that he fell back asleep. And now he was late. Sora and Ventus had almost broken his door down trying to get in. They claimed that they thought something bad had happened to him when they knocked and no one answered.

At least his suitcase was already packed. The blond decided to forget a bath and changing his bandages. If they made good time they'd be at the outskirts of Ignis and in a nice inn. He could wait until then to get cleaned up.

"Roxas!" Olette called for the blond near the stables, waving the prince over, "Have you seen Axel?" When the blond shook his head the girl frowned, "So you're still wearing the same bandages from yesterday? That's got to be uncomfortable. Come here." She grabbed Roxas by the arm and started to drag him across the yard to where the horses and three carriages waited. It seemed a bit much for Roxas, but who was he to judge, "Okay I saw Axel over here a minute ago."

"And why do we need him? We're leaving soon anyway. I can wait to get changed." He started to pull out of the girl's hold, only to feel her nail bite into his skin.

"No it needs to be done now. We're going to be going until we reach Tacet."

"Tacet? Why are we going there?" It wouldn't have been unusual to go through that kingdom seeing as how it was connected to both Ignis and Lamina, but they had gone through Mulier before so why switch it up now?

"Yes. Queen Naminé is going back and has asked for an escort." Just as Olette was finishing her sentence the palace doors opened and Naminé walked down with a trail of servants carrying her luggage.

"Naminé, sweetie. We were just about to send someone to fetch you." Queen Terra smiled at the young woman.

Naminé returned the smile and curtsied, "Sorry for the delay. I just had to give a few last minute goodbyes and give King Xehanort my thanks for inviting me to the wedding and letting me stay a few days." Blue eyes looked up and caught sight of Roxas. The blond didn't know for sure, but he could have sworn he saw the girl flinch and blush.

"Oh there he is. Axel!" Olette's voice broke through the crowd, grabbing the redhead's attention. Roxas was forcefully dragged to the white horse that the man was doting over, "Roxas needs you to change his bandages."

"I'm fine."

"No you're not. Please Axel? We're going to be on the road all day and most of the night. I don't want Roxas to get an infection." The girl's large green eyes pleaded with Axel. Her hold was still iron grip on Roxas so the boy wouldn't be able to escape.

Axel looked between the worried girl and his annoyed husband. He really didn't want to, but Xion was right, he needed to take care of Roxas and get on the blond's good side, "Yeah. No problem. Do you want to go in one of the carriages or go back inside?"

Really going back inside would have been much more of an inconvenience. They'd either have to find an empty room that no one would go into, or climb three flights of steps back to Axel's room, "Carriage." Roxas said in a monotone voice. He wasn't looking forward to it. He still wasn't comfortable being half dressed in front of Axel. And just the thought of being in such a small space with him made Roxas feel claustrophobic, but he really didn't have a choice.

The three carefully climbed into a carriage that wasn't in use yet. Olette helped strip Roxas and take off the old gauze then gently pushed him onto one of the benches, "Do you have enough room to work?" The nurse looked over her shoulder at Axel. The redhead was too tall for the small space. He was hunched over and his back still brushed the roof.

"I'll manage." He squeezed around Olette and knelt next to the bench. His legs craped in the small space, but he figured he could manage. It didn't take long to check the stitches for any kind of infection or inflammation. Olette pulled some ointment and fresh gauze from a pouch she had started to keep around her waist. It didn't even take ten minutes to patch Roxas up, but for Axel it felt like hours. His legs hurt and he could barely walk once they got out of the carriage.

"Fuck." Axel tried rubbing some feeling back into his legs. It seemed to help a little, "Is that all you needed me for?" Olette and Roxas both nodded, "Okay. We'll be taking off soon so go find your parents and get situated." The redhead left to go find something else to do.

Roxas let out a sigh of relief once the man was out of sight, "Roxas," Olette quietly said, grabbing the blond's attention, "I don't mean to pry or offend in anyway. But why do you tense so much when Axel's around? Surely he can't be that bad of a person."

"He really is Olette. He's an arrogant asshole that only cares for himself." Roxas glared in the general direction that Axel had disappeared to.

"Are you so sure about that? I was informed about what happened between the two of you and how you got those burns." She gestured towards Roxas's hips, "I must admit that the burns are a miracle and a blessing from Ifrit himself. But you also must realize that Axel was just doing his duties. As you should have been doing. I know it's not ideal Roxas, but as the youngest and last to the throne you should have known that being married off was going to happen."

Roxas looked down, he almost looked ashamed. But his eyes quickly hardened as he looked back at Olette, "My father would have never sold me off. I'm only in this predicament because your king demanded it so the war would end. I owe nothing to Xehanort or Axel and I'll never forgive them for any of this." And with that said Roxas left to go find his brothers. He had enough of Ignis and couldn't wait to get back home.

He found Sora and Ventus close to his parents. Terra engaged Naminé in a conversation that involved a lot of blushing on the younger queen's part. But Roxas didn't pay them any mind.

"Hey are you ready to go soon?" Sora asked.

"Yes. But why are we taking three carriages? Isn't that a bit much?" Roxas asked. Even with the addition of Naminé they would only need two at the most.

"Well, Mother was thinking that the travel would be too hard on you so she wanted you to have your own so you'd be able to stretch and lay down. You're damn lucky too. Father's making me ride on a horse to whole time." Sora crossed his arms and pouted. He was not enjoying his punishment. "Then there's one to carry all the luggage. Axel had quite a lot since he'll be staying with us for quite a bit."

Ven just smirked at his older brother, "Serves you right you know. If you want to start a fight and act like a solder then you might as well be one. Besides, I think the army will respect you more knowing that you've fought beside them."

"Well if something happens to me then you take over, so by that logic you should be in the ranks with me."

"If you both don't shut up I'll put you both in the grunt work." Ansem threatened. All three of his children quieted, "Ventus you'll be with me and your mother in the first carriage. Sora I believe your horse is ready. And Roxas you'll be riding with Queen Naminé.

Naminé didn't seem to know of those plans and froze in shock, "Actually King Ansem, I was hoping to be able to ride with you. Cloud and I were talking and would like to form a trade rout with you. We can talk details over the ride." Roxas couldn't help but feel that the queen was avoiding him. It would have been more logical to wait until they were in Tacet when the other king would be present.

Ansem seemed to have the same thoughts as Roxas, but he didn't voice them, "Very well. Ventus you can ride with Roxas. But I want him resting. Don't exert him too much."

Ventus seemed to perk up at that. He wasn't looking forward to being stuck in a small space with just his parents, "I promise to look after him." The eldest twin grabbed Roxas and pulled him to the carriage that they would be riding in. They just had time to settle in before the small caravan took off.

~X~x~X~x~

They were only on the road for a couple of hours. The sun was at its highest point and Axel was getting irritated from the heat beating down on him. The redhead was starting to regret taking his own horse and not just riding with his new in-laws. True it would be awkward but at least then he wouldn't be baking right now and stewing in his own sweat.

The small village they were traveling through was in Ignis territory, but Axel couldn't recall if he had ever been through it before. It was mostly farmlands with a small marketplace where it seemed everyone gathered to see who was coming through town.

Axel straightened up his poster, and tried to look regal in front of his people. He was used to crowds gathering around him as he traveled. It was only natural for the commoners wanting to know who ruled them looked like. And Axel was more than willing to oblige.

Then something hit him. Something soft and wet collided with the side of the prince's head. Then another one hit him in a back. Zephyr whinnied in surprise when some rotten fruit hit his flank. It took all of Axel's efforts to steady his steed.

"Faggot! I hope Ifrit damns your soul!" Someone yelled before throwing another tomato at the prince.

Axel grit his teeth. He had reached his limit. Pulling his horse to a stop the redhead jumped off and grabbed his sword from its sheathe from where it had been secured on Zephyr's side, "Do you wanna run that by me again?" He growled as he approached the disrespectful teenager.

"You heard me. You're a traitor to this kingdom and our god." The boy didn't seem to be afraid of Axel as the prince advanced on him.

The redhead had the mind to run the peasant through but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder pulling him back, "Would you really do and say these things to the man who gave up his life to stop a war that was destroying your land and stealing your children? Show your prince with more respect or I'll see to it that your tongue will be ripped out myself." Ansem didn't sound like he was kidding and Axel found himself afraid due to the tone. Now the teenager seemed to be afraid. He deflated a bit before scurrying away to hide from the foreign king.

Once he was out of sight Terra was on the redhead, "Oh my. Are you alright? Here let's get you cleaned up." The queen dragged the redhead to a trough where there was water sitting out for the horses. A handkerchief was handed to Terra by her husband. With a thank you directed toward the king, Terra started to clean off Axel's face, "You poor dear. You're not hurt anywhere, right?"

"No-" Axel had to stop himself. He almost called the woman Mom. He couldn't remember the last time someone had worried so much over his wellbeing. Xehanort wasn't the most caring of people and servants only did the bare minimal to get their pay, "No ma'am."

Terra hummed when she finished cleaning up the redhead's face. She grabbed Axel by the chin and pulled his head from side to side to check for any injuries or missed fruit, "There. Good as new." The queen gave Axel a small peck on the cheek, "Feel any better? Not going to go out and find the poor kid?" Axel shook his head, "That's good. Why don't you ride with Roxas and Ven for the remainder of the trip? You look like you could get out of the sun."

Axel didn't have it in him to argue. He went to the carriage that the twins were in and hopped in. He was greeted to two identical pairs of blue eyes staring in shock, "What? Do I have something on my face?" Axel scowled and sat next to Ventus seeing as how Roxas was laying on his back and completely taking up the other bench.

"No. But we saw what happened. That guy was such a jackass." Ventus glared out the window. His fists were clenched. The boy looked ready to jump out and hunt down the offender.

Axel leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest, "Just forget about it. It's something that's going to happen a lot. Might as well toughen up your hide now." He directed the last part towards Roxas.

"Don't pretend to care." Roxas rolled his eyes and turned on his side so his back was facing Axel.

"Ignore him. He's all cranky because his chest is bothering him." Ventus whispered to the redhead, "I was going to see if we could stop for a while so he could get out and move around a bit, but I figure you'd want to get as far away from this place as possible."

"We can stop if Roxas needs us too." It was meant to come out a bit caring sounding, but Axel's tone was bland and monotone.

Roxas turned just enough to glare at his twin, "I'm fine." His glare traveled to Axel, "And I know you don't care about anyone but yourself so don't even try to act like you want us to stop."

"Roxas don't be rude!" Ventus scolded.

The younger blond turned around to again, "Just shut up and let me sleep."

Axel and Ventus stayed quiet until they were sure Roxas had drifted off to sleep before starting up a conversation, "You know I worry about him." The two made eye contact, "He's my baby brother and I'd do anything to make sure he's safe and happy."

Axel raised a thin eyebrow, "Was that a threat or something? Because no offence but you don't scare me. Neither does Sora."

"It wasn't a threat. But you're a big brother too, and I know you wouldn't let anyone mess with Vanitas or Kairi, right?"

Axel couldn't help but laugh at that, "Well Vanitas is a general and is more than capable of taking care of himself. Something really wrong would have to happen if he needed my protection. But Kairi," Axel's face seemed to soften when talking about the girl, "Yeah, if anyone messed with her I'd probably tear their throat out with my bear hands. And then the poor guy will have Reno and Vanitas after him too."

"Then you know exactly where I'm coming from. I know Roxas would hate it if he thought he was being babied since we're only minutes apart, but I still can't help but take some responsibility for him. And just the thought of us being separated and not being able to look after him scares me." Big blue eyes looked up at the redhead, "Can I trust him with you?"

"I don't know. But you have a couple of months to make up your mind about me." Axel didn't know if he could live up to Ventus's expectations. How could he make Roxas happy when he wasn't exactly ecstatic about the blond to begin with?

~X~x~X~x~

They never made it to the kingdom of Tacet. By the time they arrived to the boarder of Ignis Roxas had started to feel unwell and uncomfortable. A small inn was more than happy to rent out its rooms to the visiting royals. There was only one downside.

"No. I'm not doing it." Roxas scowled at the full-sized bed, "Ven I'm sleeping with you."

"Can't. I'm sleeping with Sora and there's no room for all three of us." The eldest blond gave his brother a sympathetic look. He didn't like the fact that the inn didn't have enough room for all of the guests so they had to double up on roommates.

Roxas opened his mouth to say something else but quickly shut it when Axel walked in carrying their bags. Blue eyes glared into green, but Axel didn't falter under the stare. He just ignore the upset blond and walked into their room. The bags were carelessly tossed to a random corner and Axel stretched like a cat on the small bed.

"Can you at least shower first? If we have to share a bed you can at least be decent enough to not smell like a fruit salad that's been left out in the sun." With a grumble Axel listened to Roxas and got off the bed.

"If we have to share a bed you can at least be decent enough to stop being such a jerk." The redhead started to dig through one of his bags in search of a clean set of clothes. Once found the prince stormed into the bathroom with a slam on the conjoining door.

Ventus frowned at the closed door, "Can you at least try Roxas?"

"What? What did I do? Why do I need to be nice towards my rapist and the man who almost bled me out like a pig?"

Ventus couldn't help but feel his heart go out to his twin. He could only imagine what Roxas was going through. But at the same time he knew that what was done was done and Roxas needed to hurry up and get over it, no matter how recent the attacks have been, "I know it's not ideal Rox. But you're going to have to accept that he's your husband and you're going to have to get along. The sooner the better."

"You know what Ven. Fuck you." Roxas's harsh tone and venomous glare shattered the other blond's heart, "You don't know what he's put me through and you're just asking me to forget everything just like that? Because I fucking can't."

"Are you about done?" Both twins jumped in shock. Axel leaned against the bathroom's doorframe, looking pretty bored.

"Were you listening on our conversation?" Roxas growled.

"I just forgot to grab underwear and here you are talking shit about me."

Ventus ducked back, not wanting to be stuck in the middle of the on-coming storm, "I'll just…uhhh…leave you two alone for a bit." It didn't seem like Axel or Roxas even notice him leave.

"I've been trying to be nice and patient with you, but you're going to have to start putting some work into this too."

"Into what exactly? Our marriage? Please. We both know neither of us want this." Roxas motioned between them, "And when have you tried being nice to me? Was it when you got me drunk and forced yourself on me? And burning me in the process need I remind you? Or was it being nice when you tried to impale me on your sword?"

Axel pushed off the doorframe and approached the blond, "You don't seem to realize what exactly happened. We had to consummate our marriage. I thought getting drunk would make it easier on both of us."

"Fuck that!" Roxas shoved Axel, making the redhead stumble backwards, "You could have said something to me at least." He punched the man in the chest, satisfied with the grunt that came out of Axel, "We could have figured something out." He punched Axel again, "You're such a heartless bastard." This hit was weaker as tears started to flow from blue eyes, "And I hadn't even recovered from that when you…when you…" The blond sniffed and tried to stop his crying. It felt like everything came crashing down on him. Everything he didn't want to think about and all his anger were finally coming out. And the man he hated the most was there to witness it.

Axel grabbed the flying fists easily and ignored the soft cry of 'no stop it', "Listen. I'm sorry okay? I am sorry for all of that. I didn't want to have sex with you and I wanted to get drunk. It was stupid of me for thinking the same for you. And that blade wasn't meant for you. Yes I got carried away and almost killed your brother, but you were the one who pushed him out of the way. You put yourself in danger by doing that, but I'm taking responsibility for it by taking care of your wounds. I even tried to be nice to you last night when I opened up to you about my mother, but you snubbed me. So stop with this bitch attitude and suck it up."

By this point Roxas had gone limp in Axel's hold. His breathing was labored and his body shook as he tried to compose himself, "Don't touch me." He managed to gasp out. With a weak pull he managed to get out of Axel's hold. Roxas stumbled as he regained his footing but managed to put a bit of distance between the two of them, "I…I can't." The blond wiped away the last of his tears with the palm of his hand and shook his head, "I'll never forgive you."

"That's fine. It's not like I want anything more from you. I just want you to stop being so hostile towards me. We don't need to like each other. You do you and I'll do me. But you have to suck it up when we get put into situations like this." Axel pointed at the bed, "I don't like this anymore than you, but I'm going to suck it up for and share a bed with you for one night."

Roxas glanced at the bed before giving the redhead his attention again, "And you won't do anything?"

"Please, I like women. Just the thought of the one time I was with you makes me physically ill. Hell, just being married to you by law alone has made my country lose faith in me. So no, I won't do anything to you."

Roxas bit his lip. Anyone would be able to tell that his nerves were still acting up. He would much rather cram in a bed with his brothers, but things being as they were it would be impossible, "Just for tonight. And we sleep head to toe."

"I'm fine with that. Now I'm going to go clean up. If you'll excuse me." Axel went back to his suitcase to grab his forgotten underwear then went back into the bathroom.

Roxas looked at the bed. He had slept in the carriage, but he was still exhausted. A short nap wouldn't hurt.

The blond woke up to Axel shaking him awake. The redhead was fully dressed and his hair was still damp, "You stink. Go take a shower so I can change your bandages and I can sleep." Roxas groaned and went to roll over so he could get more sleep, but was stopped and shook again, "Hey I'm tired too. So go wash off so we can both get some rest. Okay?"

Roxas mumbled something in the sheets about how he didn't smell, but got up anyway. The blond ignored Axel as he grabbed a change of clothes. Roxas closed the bathroom door behind him and quickly turned to water to the hottest it could get before stripping. Roxas hissed as he rolled off the dirty gauze and it pulled at his stitches.

The blond didn't take long in the shower. He just scrubbed off the dirt and sweat that had gathered on his skin over the course of the day. He made sure to gently scrub over the large cut from his chest to hip. Washing his back seemed to be a problem without tearing a stitch out again. He figured just running hot water would wash it good enough for him.

Once Roxas decided he was clean enough he got out of the shower and dried off. Now came the hardest decision. Should he bother with a shirt or not? The white fabric hung limply in his hand. If he put it on he'd just have to take if off again. But at the same time Roxas didn't feel comfortable walking out and being half naked in front of Axel. He tossed the shirt back and forth in his hands. He had finally made up his mind.

The bathroom door opened and Roxas slowly stepped out. His head hung low as he made his way to the bed and sat on the edge. He flinched when he felt long fingers touch his chest, but quickly tried to relax when he also felt the familiar cream on his skin. Roxas let out a shaky breath. His eyes still clenched shut.

Roxas half expected Axel to say something, but the redhead was concentrating on his job. Wanting it to be over with just as much as the blond, "Okay, you're done." Axel finally said as he secured the clean gauze and tossed the old into the trash bin. Roxas sighed in relief and threw on his shirt, being mindful not to hurt himself, "You know, you did really well this time." The comment made Roxas blush and throw a pillow towards the bottom of the bed.

"I'm just tired. Can I sleep now?" Roxas kicked up the blankets and laid down with a bit more aggression than what was necessary.

Axel didn't give a comeback as he blew up the extra candles in the room and got himself settled in his spot at the bottom of the bed. Roxas waited till the redhead was ready before blowing out the last candle on the side table. Blanking the two in darkness and sleep.


	9. Lightning and Wolves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter gave me so much problems and now I'm over 4k words behind xD gotta get more motivated lol

"Hey Sora." Ventus crept into their room, happy to be away from the tension from Axel and Roxas's room. The brunet was sitting on their bed and reading a random book. He looked utterly tired and ready to fall asleep on the spot, "Did all that riding wipe you out?" The blond chucked.

"Yeah. I am not looking forward to the rest of this trip. I just want to ride in a carriage. It's not fair." Sora dramatically fell back onto the bed, "Why can't I have a twin to switch places with?" The prince moaned and curled into a ball, "It's not fair."

Ventus rolled his eyes at his older brother's antics, "Please when have I ever traded places with Roxas?"

"I don't know. But I bet you have." Sora buried his face in a pillow and sulked.

The blond tilted his head to the side and studied Sora. Then something clicked, "You know, I think you may have a twin. Or at the very least a doppelganger."

Sora sat up and gave his brother a curious look, "Yeah? Who?" The brunet was practically jumping in excitement at the very thought of having a twin.

"Vanitas."

Sora deflated, "Really? But he's so mean."

Ventus shrugged, "You wanted a twin and now you have one."

"I don't think we're twins." Sora defended.

"You two totally have the same build and face. Not to mention spiky as hell hair. The only difference is that his hair's darker and your eyes aren't the same color. And I don't know if you've noticed or not, but you two have eerily similar voices. Like I'd hear him and think it was you."

"I don't want to be Vanitas's twin though. If I have to be any of their twins can I be Kairi's? She's at least nice."

Ventus tilted his head to the side and hummed thoughtfully, "No…I mean you have similar faces and eyes, but you look a hell of a lot more like Vanitas."

Ventus was too busy laughing at Sora's misery that he didn't notice the pillow go flying across the room and smack him in the face, "Hey what the hell Sora? No need to get violent." Ventus threw the pillow back at the pouting brunet, "Fine," The younger prince rolled his eye, "If you don't want a Vanitas twin then he's not your twin. Happy?"

"Very." Sora smiled as he went to get under the covers, "It's late. We have a long ride a head of us if we want to get to Tacte in before tomorrow ends." Ventus agreed and quickly changed and crawled in next to Sora, "You know it's weird," The brunet said around a yawn.

"Hmm? What's weird?"

"I'm not used to sharing a bed." Sora moved over a bit to make sure his brother had room to move around on the small bed.

Ventus smiled and nuzzled into his pillow, "See there's perks to not having a twin."

"Yeah I guess. Good night Ven."

"Night Sora."

~X~x~X~x~

Sora was right, they were woken up at the crack of dawn to leave for Naminé's kingdom. The midsummer heat wore down everyone. The temperature never cooled when the sun started to go down and dusk set in. But by then they had arrived to Tacte where Cloud stood outside with a small group of his elite guard. Naminé was the first to approach the blond, "Cloud." She gave her husband a small smile, but made no attempt to show the man any affection beyond that.

"Did you have fun Nami?" The girl nodded her head, her smile slowly fading, "I still don't understand why you insisted on staying longer. It was only a couple of days."

"Sometimes a girl just needs a break." Was all Naminé said before walking into the large castle.

Cloud didn't seem all to bothered by his wife's exit. Instead he busied himself with his guests, "King Ansem. Queen Terra. I hope this trip didn't detour you too badly."

"Not at all. We were happy to escort your wife." Ansem said and shook the other king's extended hand. Terra came up behind her husband.

The royal couple talked to their host for the night, leaving their children to their own devises. Sora, Ventus, and Roxas decided to go explore the garden before night time night fully set in and it got too dark outside. Before completely disappearing from their group, Roxas noticed Axel get off his horse and go with a servant to the stables to put up the redhead's horse for the night.

"So how did you sleep last night?" Ventus asked as he carefully walked the edge of a fountain. His arms stretched wide as he tried to keep his balance. The garden was filled with flowers that lightning bugs danced over. The fountain was a bit on the small size, but was covered in colored glass that would reflect the sun during the day. In the middle had a statue of an old, wise looking wolf. A never ending flow of water would pool around the wolf's feet and fall into the basin.

As Roxas walked started kicking random rocks that littered the pathway, "Well I didn't kill Axel, so I guess good?" It wasn't really good. Roxas couldn't stay asleep knowing that the redhead was next to him, well his feet were next to him. Anytime he would start to drift off Axel would shift a bit and end up rubbing against the blond, making him jump awake.

"At least you didn't get compared to Vanitas." Sora was still pouty over the comment from last night and there was no signs of him stopping any time soon.

"At least you're not legally related to Vanitas." Roxas shot back. The two held a glare silently challenging each other, arguing over who really had it worse. Of course Roxas won. Ventus on the other hand was concentrating too hard on not laughing at his brothers antics that he almost fell into the fountain. He managed to miss by falling to the other side and onto Sora.

The brunet and blond tumbled to the ground, "Ow. What the hell Ven?" Sora pushed his brother off of him and slowly climbed back up to his feet.

Ventus didn't seem to want to get up and just laid on the ground, watching the stars slowly come out, "Hey it was an accident." He stretched his legs out and cradled his hands behind his head with no intention of wanting to get up any time soon.

Roxas was almost tempted to join his brother and stargaze but was stopped by a palace servant, "Prince Roxas," They called, grabbing the blond's attention, "King Cloud request your presents." The servant patiently waited for Roxas to approach him. Without a word the servant walked back to the castle with Roxas quietly following behind him. The two went down halls and up a flight of stairs until they came to a closed door. Without knocking the servant opened it, revealing a small room with nothing in it but a few pushed chairs, and light fireplace. Axel sat in one of the chairs having a hushed conversation with Cloud. Once Roxas was in the room the servant bowed to his king before leaving and closing the door behind him.

"Thank you for coming Roxas." Cloud nodded to the young prince, "I wanted to talk to you and Axel in private if that's okay?"

"Yes. Of course." Roxas took the seat offered to him. He was uncomfortably close to Axel.

"I know what you two are going through." The older blond said without hesitation. Both princes wanted to object and say that he really didn't, but held their tongues in respect, "Naminé and I were also an arranged marriage, and we didn't get along very well in the beginning either."

Roxas inwardly groaned. Great his parents said something about him and Axel to Cloud.

"With all due respect, what you went through isn't what we're going through right now." Axel interjected.

"Yes, I realize that. I just wanted to give you two some advice." Cloud folded his hands on his lap, "Try to find something you both can agree on."

"We both agree that we hate each other." Roxas said in a monotone voice. His blue eye stared vacantly into the fire.

Surprisingly the serious looking king chuckled, "Well, did you want to stop that stupid war?" Both boys nodded, "Then there's something you agree on. Try bettering yourselves so there's no repeat of that war. No one expects you two to fall in love and live happily ever after, but if you don't want to be unhappy try to become friends. When I first married Naminé we barely spoke to each other. She spent most of her time in Hibernis with her parents. It wasn't until my parents died and I took the throne that she came back. We were rocky at first and she seemed pretty depressed and lonely." Cloud gave Roxas a sympathetic look, "Something that seems to be effecting you, and so early into your marriage too."

Roxas looked ashamed of himself. He knew his personality had been off the last few days, but was it really his fault? "What did Queen Naminé do?" The blond asked in a quiet voice.

"We went on a weekend camping trip. Simple, but it gave us quality time with no distractions. Maybe it's something you two should consider doing; after Roxas heals of course."

Both Axel and Roxas both seemed to consider it for a moment, "Thank you for the advice your highness," Axel stood from his seat, "We'll take it into consideration." The redhead bowed and exited the room, with Roxas behind.

"We're not going are we?" The blond asked when the door closed, "Because I'm not doing it. You can go though. Please go." Roxas's voice was bland and dripping with sarcasm.

"Why don't you want to go? Scared you might like it?" Axel taunted. He didn't want to go. Bonding with Roxas felt like it would be nothing but a waste of time anyway. Maybe once the blond settled down in Ignis he'd have his own life and they would only have to see each other when they needed to. That sounded ideal.

Roxas scoffed and started to walk down the hall. He didn't get far until an out of breath Ventus found him, "Holy shit Roxas!" He practically yelled between pants, "You'll never guess what Sora and I found!" He didn't wait for his twin's reply before he started speaking again, "Wolves! There's penned up actual wolves! And they're huge! Like the size of a bear! Come on you have to come see!"

Ventus grabbed Roxas by the hand and started to drag him back the way he had come. The twins were back outside and running through the courtyard. At the very edge in the moonlight Roxas could barely make out a large stable like structure. When they got closer he could make out the silhouette of Sora peering over the edge and looking into the stable.

The twins joined their older brother and Roxas gasped. Ventus wasn't kidding or exaggerating. If anything he had down played the wolves size. The jaws alone were bigger than Roxas's head.

"Those are the royal pets." A bored voice said, startling the three princes. A brunet with a scar running down his face approached them. Roxas recognized him from his wedding. "They're only found in this kingdom. They're larger in the wild, but these have been bred for generations and have shrunk a bit in size."

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" Sora's question didn't come out rude, but his brothers flinched nonetheless. The heir really needed to work on his wording.

The older brunet looked thrown off by the question but quickly shook it off, "Excuse me. I'm Leon, general of the king's personal guard. I was sent to find you three. Dinner is ready and then you'll be shown to your sleeping quarters."

The princes climbed off of the stable and followed the brunet back to the castle. Leon escorted the brothers to the dining room before leaving. Everyone had already been seated. Cloud at the head with Naminé on his right. Ansem sat on his left with Terra on his other side, with two seats open. There was an empty seat between Naminé and Axel, which Roxas could only guess was reserved for him.

"Nice to have you finally join us." Ansem said in a scolding tone.

"Sorry." Ventus said, "We just wanted to be outside and stretch our legs after such a long ride. Then we found these wolves! They were so cool!"

Cloud smiled at the young prince, "I'm glad you like them. They're the pride of my kingdom."

The food was served and small talk circled around the table. Roxas couldn't help but notice that the queen on his left was extremely stiff and sat as far away from the blond as she could without falling out of her own seat. Something was off with her. Did it have something to do with a couple of days ago when he saw her sneaking out of a room?

"So Cloud," Ansem spoke up, hushing everyone, "When can we expect an heir from you and your queen? It's been a few years since your marriage after all."

Both the king and queen of Tacte got flustered at the question. Naminé hid her bright red face behind her napkin and pretended to be wiping something off, leaving Cloud to answer, "We…we've been trying for a while now, but nothing seems to work." The king admitted, shame lacing his voice, "You've had three sons; do you have any pointers?"

Roxas groaned and hid his face in his hands. This was a conversation he did not want to hear right now. Or ever! In the corner of his eye, Roxas saw Axel reach for his drink and take a long swig. His eyes looked vacant as he tried to ignore the personal conversation.

Terra seemed to perk up at the mention of her children, "Well it did take time before we were able to conceive Sora. What we found worked was-"

"Mother!" All three kids yelled at once. Their faces were beat red and Sora looked like he was about to pass out.

"Can you please talk about that in private?" The brunet moaned.

Terra grabbed her eldest in a side hug, "One day you'll be married and asking things like this too. Don't get bashful now." The queen gave Sora a sloppy kiss on the cheek and sat up straight again, "After the first time you have a child it's not hard for it to happen again."

"Ah yes. I see. Thank you Terra. We will keep trying." Naminé quietly said. Her blue eyes cast on the table.

Roxas started to let out a sigh of relief, but it seemed that his mother didn't want the subject to drop, "Axel, dear, how did your mother handle having four successful pregnancies?"

The mood seemed to drop almost immediately. The redhead didn't look up from his plate as he played with his peas, "Not all of them were successful." Axel's voice was quiet and monotone. It was clear he didn't want to talk about the subject.

Terra gave the prince a sad smile, "I'm sure Queen Lightning is happy that all of her children are healthy and well. Her sacrifice was tragic, but it's something all mothers would do for their children."

"I think I'm going to go to bed, if I may be excused?" Cloud nodded his answer and waved the redhead off. Axel stood and gave the hosting king and queen a respectful bow before retiring to his room. (

"Oh my," Terra looked a bit guilty, "I should go talk to him?"

The queen went to get up, but was stopped by her husband, "Talking to him won't help his grief. It's something he must work through himself." Terra nodded in agreement and sat back down. The rest of dinner was spent in an awkward silence.

Roxas quickly finished his meal then politely excused himself. He couldn't stand the tense atmosphere anymore. A servant took the blond up to his room. He was left in front of a closed door, silently praying that Axel had gone to sleep. HE didn't mind his bandages not getting changed. If anything Olette would stop by in an hour or so to make sure they were clean.

Taking in a deep breath Roxas turned the handle and opened the door with a creak. A shock of red hair shifted at the sound. Axel turned on instinct, and instantly regretted it. The man's eyes were bloodshot. His cheeks had streaks of dried tears running down them.

"Are you okay?" Roxas's voice was just above a whisper, almost like if he talked louder Axel would shatter.

The redhead wiped at his face in a vain attempt to get rid of any proof that he had been crying, "Yeah. I'm just dandy. Why don't you take a shower so I can change your bandages and we can get some sleep?"

Roxas gently closed the door behind him, "I'm sorry about your mother. I didn't know..." Roxas gazed at the ground, his eyes filled with pity. Maybe he should leave and bunk with Ven for the night.

"You didn't seem to care the last time I tried to talk about her. Sorry, but I don't want your fake sympathies. Can you just go take a shower?" Axel turned around so his back was facing Roxas again.

Roxas felt his chest start to hurt. His fist clenched near his heart as thoughts started to race across his mind. What if he suddenly lost his mother? What would he do? The thought alone made Roxas want to cry. It was something he never wanted to experience in his life. And if what he heard at dinner was true, then Axel had lost his mother when he was only five, when Kairi had been born. He was so young…

A trembling hand reached out to the redhead. Roxas wanted to comfort him the same way his mother had shown him. The blond almost pulled the Axel into a hug. Almost. The tight feeling in Roxas's chest reminded the blond of the large gash that was cruelly given to him. The hand retreated, "I'll make sure to be fast so you can go to sleep." Roxas rushed into the bathroom, wiping away tears that wouldn't flowing.


	10. The Flower Crown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I loved how this chapter turned out x3 like so so much. Lets hope there's more like this one lol
> 
> Hope you all enjoy too!

It only took a day to get between Tacte and Lamina, but for both Axel and Roxas it felt like it lasted a life time. The tension from last night was still thick between them. They had lucked out and didn't need to share the bed and Axel slept on a small love seat that was in the corner of the room. When morning had come and they had been woken up, Axel wouldn't even look at Roxas. Changing the blond's bandages had been an interesting affair. The silence that surrounded them was suffocating. Roxas couldn't stand it anymore. He tried to make a lame joke about a duck, but it didn't work. Axel finished and left to get breakfast.

Roxas sighed heavily as he watched the landscape. They had made it to Lamina. Roxas thought he would be happy to be back home, but he just couldn't shake what had happened last night.

"You know if you keep you face like that it's going to stick forever." Ventus poked his twin in the forehead, successfully pulling him from his thoughts, "What's the problem anyway? We're going to be home in a few hours. You can finally relax and forget everything that's happened for at least a little bit."

"I just didn't sleep very well last night." It wasn't a complete lie. While the bed was comfortable and he didn't have to worry about Axel, Roxas just couldn't sleep.

Ventus didn't seem to completely buy it but when he opened his mouth to ask what was really bothering Roxas, the carriage stopped, "What the hell?" Ventus opened the door without hesitation. The blond froze at what he saw, "Hey Rox, come take a look at this." Without another word the older twin stepped out, closely followed by a confused Roxas.

The villagers of the small town had gathered all around the streets to see their King and Queen. But Roxas's attention was drawn somewhere else. A little girl who could barely be five years old stood next to Axel who was still sitting on his horse.

"Are you Prince Axel?" She asked. Her voice was soft and she fidgeted nervously under the man's stare. Her hands played with something in her hands.

"Yes?"

"Well…ummm…I made this for you." The girl thrusted the object in her hands towards the redhead. A beautiful flower crown made from daisies was presented to Axel, "I was making it for my mommy, but wanted to thank you."

Axel slid off of his horse and knelt down so he was level with the girl, "You don't need to thank me." Despite his words the man didn't stop the girl from placing the crown on top of his red spikes.

"But you stopped the war." The girl fiddled with the crown, biting her tongue in concentration as she tried to straighten it out so it sat perfectly. Once she was happy with her work the girl turned and spotted Roxas. She turned back to Axel with a confused look, "Why don't you two ride together? Is it so you can protect Prince Roxas?"

Axel looked dumbfounded, "It's just how things worked out."

The girl made an O shape with her mouth, "Do you kiss? My mommy and daddy kiss a lot. And hold hands."

Axel bit his lip. He didn't know what to say to the child. I'm sorry sweetie but our love isn't real? That wouldn't work.

Suddenly a warm hand eclipsed his shoulder. Axel let out a sigh of relief when he saw it was only Roxas. Whatever issue he had with the blond earlier completely gone as he tried to figure out how to answer the girl.

"We do kiss, but only when no one's looking." Roxas copied Axel and got down to the girl's level. His index finger placed over his lips, "Gotta keep it a secret."

"A secret?" The girl seemed to light up at the first sign of some gossip, "Why is it a secret? Everyone knows you're married sillies."

Roxas smiled at the girl, "Because it's more fun that way."

"Ohhhh." The girl giggled, "You're funny." Then suddenly the girl gasped, "I don't have another crown for you!" She looked worried as tears started to swell in her eye, "I-I'm sorry! You help…helped too and I didn't…"

Roxas was internally freaking out. He didn't want the girl to cry over him. Without thinking the blond pulled a decretive flower out of Axel's daisy chain, "Here, how about I take this?" He tucked the simple flower behind his ear, "There all better. What do you think?"

The girl sniffed as her tears started to subside, "It looks nice." She mumbled.

"Then I love it."

"Does Prince Axel like his crown?" Her eyes went back to the redhead who had been quiet for the exchange.

Axel reached up to touch the gift, "It's beautiful. Thank you for it." And for some unknown reason, he meant it. It felt so surreal to be given something so simple and pure for a marriage that was littered with sin and guilt.

The girl smiled one last time before her mother called for her. Once she had left the crowd started to thin out, bored now that the scene was over.

Ventus came up to the duo and gave them a knowing smirk, "So you act like you hate each other but snog when no one's looking?"

Roxas blushed and punched his brother, "Hush up. You know I just said that to shut her up." He looked up at Axel and gave him a genuine smile, "Thanks for not freaking out on that."

The redhead just shrugged, "She was sweet enough that I could swallow my pride. Plus I'd take daisy chains over rotten tomatoes any day." And with that Axel got back on his hose and trotted away. Ventus and Roxas went back to their carriage so they could get moving again.

~X~x~X~x~

"Roxas! Roxas! Wake up" Ventus violently shook his brother. Roxas groaned and swatted the hyper blond away, mumbling that he didn't care if Ven saw another deer he wanted to sleep. But the older twin was relentless, "No we're approaching the citadel. We're home!"

Roxas was up in an instant. But he sat up too fast and his forehead caught Ventus's jaw. Both cried out in pain. Roxas fell back into a fetal position while Ventus tumbled into his seat with his hand clutching at his face, "Oh god Rox. Why must you be so violent?"

"I didn't do 'nything." Roxas moaned. He slowly sat back up and glanced out the window. He smiled at the familiar scenery around them. The walls that kept them safe from invasions were quickly coming into view, but not fast enough, "I need to find Hayner and tell him everything that's happened."

"Don't tell him too much. He'll probably try to kill Axel."

An evil smile crept on Roxas's face, "Even better. Maybe poison? I don't think Hayner can duel someone let alone wield a sword." Ventus rolled his eyes. Roxas could turn into such a kid when Hayner was involved.

It didn't take long for the carriage to come to a stop and Roxas was the first one out. The blond was about to book it into the castle, but was called back by his father, "Roxas, I don't want you running off. You still have some duties to do before you disappear. You need to show Axel to your room and around the castle. We don't need him getting lost during his stay here. Then I want you both to get cleaned up for dinner. We're having a feast to welcome Axel and I'd like you both to be on your best behavior."

Speaking of Axel, the redhead had dismounted from Zephyr and handed the reins to a stable servant. His attention turned to King Ansem as his stomach made a noise at the mention of food. Being on the road all day made it hard to eat. The redhead was looking forward to eating. And the sooner he got Roxas to do his job the sooner he could grab some food.

"I'm ready to go explore if you are." Axel said to Roxas. The blond nodded and excused himself from his father. The two walked up the steps and into the palace. Axel looked around as the servants ran around busying themselves to finish last minute things.

"Roxaaaas!" A dirty blond ran up to the prince and hugged him.

Roxas grunted in surprise. He almost fell over, but managed to gain his footing back, "Hi Hayner. Missed you too." The blond tried to push his friend off of him as arms squeezed around his chest just a bit too tightly, "C-can you let go? I kinda hurt myself."

Hayner was off of Roxas in a second. Brown eyes looked over the prince's shoulder and studied Axel up and down, "This the guy?"

Axel was taken back by the harsh tone. How dare a mere servant talk about him like that? And to his face too. The redhead was about to reprehend the dirty blond, but Roxas interrupted him.

"Yeah. But don't piss him off." Roxas put a hand on Hayner's chest in a weak attempt to push him away, "I don't think I can do anything if he gets mad enough."

Hayner never took his eyes off of Axel, "Why? Is he sensitive about someone making fun of his pansy crown?"

That made Axel flush. He was still wearing the daisy crown that the little girl had given him. It mostly had to do with the fact that he had nowhere to put it without it falling apart. Suddenly defensive Axel crossed his arms over his chest, "What? Are you jealous you don't have one?"

"Axel, just stop. I don't want to break up a fight right now." Roxas was rubbing his temples. Even with the bickering the blond had to admit that he was surprised that Axel hadn't docked Hayner yet.

"I won't fight him while I'm a guest here. But if he was in my kingdom I would have his sorry ass tossed in the darkest pits of the dungeon by now." Axel hissed then walked away. Not wanting to start an unnecessary fight and causing any more drama.

Roxas sighed as he watched the man go, "I should go after him and make sure he doesn't get lost." The blond apologized to his friend as he ran after the tall redhead, "Will you wait." Roxas growled as he caught Axel by the arm, "My legs aren't as long as yours and my chest is starting to hurt."

At the mention of the injury Axel's defenses came down, "Well, where's your room? The sooner you get changed the sooner I can get some food."

Roxas rolled his eyes at the redhead's motives, "Just follow me. I guess I can give you the grand tour later. Maybe Hayner can tag along." Axel was pulled down long, narrow hallways filled with rushing maids. Up one flight of stairs and down another never ending hall.

The redhead was about to ask if they had to go any farther, but instead managed to walk straight into Roxas's back. The blond grunted in pain but ignored the taller man in favor of opening a door. The room wasn't as big as Axel's, but it was still suitable for a prince.

The windows were covered with thick red drapes that were just opened enough to let in some sunlight and air. Axel could also make out a small balcony just outside the windows. The large king sized bed was draped in dark red satin sheets. Against the wall was a large fireplace just waiting to be lit. A few feet away from the fireplace was a full body mirror embedded into the bricks. There was a door on the right wall that Axel could only guess lead into the bathroom. There was also a large bookshelf with a plush chair next to it. A wardrobe and desk sat in the corner, completing the room

Roxas took a deep breath and walked into the room, "Home sweet home." He sighed as he traced the many books that lined their shelves. While the blond looked finally relaxed in days, Axel couldn't help but notice one problem. While the bed was big, there was nowhere else to sleep unless he decided to opt out for the chair, which didn't look comfortable.

"Why don't you take the first bath?" Roxas offered, not quiet done with taking in his room and soaking up the feeling of being home. In the corner of his eye the blond saw the other man shuffle into his bathroom. Maybe now he'd be able to catch a peaceful nap. Stripping off his shirt and carefully pulling off his dirty bandages to give his stitches some fresh air.

It felt so nice to finally be in his bed. No more uncomfortable couch or single blanket. He missed the feel of his sheets and pillows along with the way they didn't smell of Axel, but his own scent. It was his and no one else's. He got so comfortable that it was hard not to fall asleep as quickly as he did.

Axel on the other hand wasn't enjoying his time in the bathroom. He had stripped and carefully placed his flower crown on the counter. But now came the hard test. Getting the water temperature to be perfect. It took time, but after standing in the freezing water for almost five minute, Axel managed to figure it out. Green eyes scanned over the selection of soaps and shampoos to use. Axel's nose scrunched up at that. Why was everything here so feminine?

With no other option the redhead decided that until he could get someone to fetch him a better smelling soap he could live with smelling like a woman for a day or two. He squirted the light yellow liquid in his hand and started to lather it up in his hair. Axel couldn't help the stir in his body as the smell surrounded him. It must have been the same thing Xion used.

Axel couldn't help but feel lonely and miss the girl's touch. His body started to ache and want for someone's touch. The redhead could feel his cock harden just at the thought of what Xion could do to him. His hand traveled down his body, caressing all the spots that his concubine would normally tease.

"Fuck." He gasped as he touched his hardening shaft. His quick pumps weren't enough. He thought of Xion and how well she could give head. Axel moaned at the thought. He had to hold himself up by placing his forearm against the slippery tile. His hips flexed as he thrust into his closed hand. He pictured Xion on her knees servicing him.

Axel's breaths came out in short, quick pants. His fist closed tighter around his cock. He hissed around the friction, but it wasn't tight enough. Not tight like…

Axel shook his head of those thoughts. He didn't need his husband invading his thoughts now. Even if the last time the redhead had been intimate was with the prince. Axel shuddered as he remembered how hot it had been inside the blond.

The mental image of Xion on her knees sucking Axel suddenly changed. Roxas on his hands and knees while panting and moaning Axel's name as the redhead rammed into him. Tears of pleasure streaked down the blond's face as he threw back his head and let out a long moan. His hips bucked back to meet Axel's thrusts.

With a gasp the redhead came. A sick feeling washed over him as he watched his seaman swirl down the drain. What had he done? The rational part of Axel's brain told him that it was just his subconscious messing with him. Roxas was the last person he had been intimate with. And with everyone trying so hard to push them together with the effectiveness of putting two puzzle corner pieces together.

But Axel wouldn't listen to the rational part of his brain. Axel's only concern was to prove he wasn't gay. Especially not for Roxas.

Axel managed to finish his shower with no more incidents. It wasn't until the man was drying his body did he realize he never grabbed a change of clothes before heading into the bathroom. Great. Just perfect.

With his towel securely wrapped around his waist, Axel opened up the bathroom door. His eyes did a sweep of the room as he looked for the chest his clothes had been packed in. But it wasn't there. Axel growled low in his throat. What kind of kingdom was Ansem running?

Then his eyes landed on Roxas. Axel grit his teeth at the half naked boy like everything wrong in the universe was his fault and he had the audacity to take a cat nap.

Axel couldn't help but look at the naked chest rise and fall with each deep breath. He had never seen Roxas look so at peace. Axel could feel his heart beat quicken as he watched the blond. The redhead had to take a deep breath to calm himself. Why was he feeling like this? He wasn't attracted to the male for the fact that he was male. Roxas moaned in his sleep and rolled over. The noise river bending through Axel's head. It sounded just like the moan in his fantasy. Anger started to pulse through Axel. Why was his head messing with him like this?

"Axel?" A soft voice called, startling the redhead. Roxas had woken up and was studying the troubled looking man, "Are you alright?" Roxas sat up and got off the bed. He slowly approached Axel with a concerned look, "You look a bit pale. Do you want me to find Olette or-"

"Can you just leave me alone for a few minutes? Why do you insist on hanging around me?" Axel snapped. Roxas instinctively took a step away from the redhead, eyes wide in fear, "And where the fuck are my clothes? Are your servants really so incompetent that they can't do anything in a timely manner? They didn't even seem prepared for our arrival. No wonder your father was losing the war and had to sell you off."

Slap!

Axel's face stung from the hit. Narrowed green eyes turned to angry blue, "Don't you ever speak about my father like that." Roxas growled, "Your kingdom wasn't doing too great either and your father needed this truce just as much." Roxas clenched his fist making Axel think he would hit him again, "And never speak to me like I'm just some cheap whore that was just given to you. Or else I'll have the guards on you so fast-"

"What can't fight your own battles? You're so fucking weak." Axel pushed Roxas out of his way, not caring when he heard the sharp intake of breath, "Now how do I call a maid so I can find my clothes?" The redhead turned when he asked his question, only to see Roxas on the floor clutching at his chest, "Shit!" All anger was forgotten for Axel as he rushed to the blond's side. He ignored Roxas's cries of protest as he gently pried the boy's hands away to check for any damage. Roxas wouldn't let up though. He kept pushing Axel away, not letting the redhead get close enough to check his injury. Having enough of the blond's fight Axel climbed in the boy's lap, his lack of clothing and his thoughts from the shower completely the last things on his mind. He was so concentrated on checking on the stitches and fighting against Roxas's struggles that he didn't even notice his towel start to slide down his hip.

A harsh knock at the door startled both men. They didn't have any time to separate before the door creaked open, "Hey Rox you'll never believe what-" Ventus stopped mid-sentence once his eyes landed on the scene in front of him. Roxas was breathless with his hands on Axel's shoulders. Ventus didn't know how he felt about Axel straddling his baby brother's hips with his fingers running down the injured chest.

"Will you move? This thing's heavy!" Hayner groaned from behind the blond prince, "Hey!" The servant yelled when he was knocked back and the door was slammed shut, "Why'd you do that for?" He groaned as he placed the large chest down.

A small smile spread across Ventus's face, "I didn't think they'd make up that fast."

"What? You mean Roxas was getting it on in there?" Hayner wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Think so. We should leave them alone for a bit. Just put the luggage against the wall." The prince turned back to the door and knocked again, "Hey we're leaving your things out here! Come get it when you're done. Also dinner should be done soon, so skip the foreplay and finish up!" The two blonds quickly left the hall to get ready for the feast.

Back in the room Axel was across the room. The moment Ventus had closed the door he was off of Roxas like the blond had electrocuted him. Roxas was still, sitting on the ground. His eyes wide as saucers. The pain in his chest forgotten thanks to the adrenalin rush. Neither man could look at the other. Shame and embarrassed by what had happened.

Very carefully Roxas picked himself up, "I…I'm just going to go take a shower." He muttered as he vanished into the bathroom.

Axel let out a sigh of relief, happy to have the blond away from him. The redhead fixed his towel and made sure it wouldn't fall off. He needed to get his chest into the room so he could get dressed and get out of the room before Roxas finished up. If he needed space to think it was now.

~X~x~X~x~

Roxas took longer in the shower than usual. He just needed to be alone with his thoughts. He needed to figure out what he was going to tell his twin and how he was going to confront Axel. By the time he got out he wasn't surprised to find the redhead gone. Roxas silently prayed that Axel didn't get lost somewhere, he didn't need his father lecturing him on top of everything that had happened today.

Once out of the shower Roxas was faced with a dilemma. With Axel gone and Olette nowhere to be found the blond had no one to help him with his bandages. He could always find a maid to fetch the local doctor to help him, or have them find either Axel or Olette. But Roxas didn't want to have to wait for them to show up and make him late for dinner. What harm could come from not putting on gauz? Just as long as he got the ointment on he'd be okay.

The blond easily managed to slather the goo over his stitches without hurting himself or pulling anything lose. A knock sounded from the door shortly after Roxas finished getting dressed. It was Hayner coming to inform him that the feast was finished.

"So…" Hayner drawled out as they walked down the hallway, "You and Axel?"

Roxas blushed and stuffed his hands in his pockets, "There's no Axel and I. What you saw was a misunderstanding."

"Well I personally didn't see anything. I was carrying all the luggage and your brother was in front of me. Why did I miss something good?"

Roxas growled and elbowed his friend in the ribs, "Shush. It was just a misunderstanding. Hell would have to freeze over before I get intimate with that bastard again."

"Again? So you have gotten down and dirty before? Aw my little boy's all grown up and is a man now." Hayner gushed, "So I take it he's a terrible lay?"

Roxas couldn't take his eyes off of the carpet, not wanting to have this conversations but knew his best friend would find out anyway, "We had to consummate our marriage. I didn't want that and I don't want anything else from Axel."

"So I take it that this isn't going to be a happy marriage?" Hayner's usually cheerful voice dropped down at hearing his friend's own sad tone, "Well how about I come to Ignis with you? See if King Xehanort needs any help in the kitchen or anything. Hell I can talk to your father about becoming your personal butler or something so I can go."

Roxas smiled at that. Hayner had always been supportive of him and always tried to help, "That'd be nice. I was worried about living there alone. I mean Kairi seems to have taken a liking to me so I at least have one friend."

"Yeah but you can't replace me with a dame. I won't have it."

Both blonds laughed, "Really? I wouldn't know the difference. You can act like such a woman sometimes." It was Hayner's turn to elbow Roxas.

The two laughed and joked around until they made it to the dining hall. Hayner opened the door for the prince and gave a respectful bow while the blond walked into the room. He was the last to arrive, and his father looked mad about it. The youngest prince sank down into his chair between Axel and Ventus. He could feel Ansem staring at him, a silent command for the boy to give him his attention, but Roxas just couldn't look up from his plate. He knew what his father was going to say.

"Roxas, look at me." The king's deep voice commanded. Blue eyes slowly peered up and looked at the older man, "Why did Sora find Axel wondering around aimlessly in the halls? I thought I told you he was to stay with you."

Roxas was at a loss of what to say. He had no good excuse for his actions. But before he could say anything Axel spoke up, "With all due respect, I'm an adult and can look after myself. After I changed Roxas's bandages I told him that I wanted to explore on my own since I get a better feel for my surroundings when I'm by myself and have to actively remember where I'm going. I took a wrong turn somewhere and luckily to bump into Sora. But Roxas and I had already arranged for him to give me a proper tour tomorrow."

Roxas blinked at Axel in confusion. Did he really just save his ass? "Roxas is that true?" Ansem asked.

"Yes father." The blond replied a little too quickly, "I wasn't feeling well after the trip and wanted to rest before dinner." Ansem didn't say anything, showing that he'd accept the excuse.

The food came out. Bowels of soup were placed in front of the each royal. Platters of roast beef, chicken, lamb, and mashed potatoes were placed on the table for the royals to serve themselves. Once everything was set and everyone had plates full of food, did anyone talk again.

"While we were in Tacte I talked to King Cloud about Sora's training and he pointed out that Ventus and Roxas should also take part in it." Ansem abruptly said, making the twins yell out in protest.

"But I didn't do anything wrong!"

"I can barely move as is!"

But the king didn't listen to them. Instead he turned his attention to Axel, "You and your brothers are all trained soldiers. Am I correct?" The redhead nodded, "I'm afraid that my military would go soft on the boys because of their status. It would bring me great joy if you could train them. Roxas of course will only do light work until he heals more."

"I don't think they'd go easy on me." Sora had to put his two cents in, "And what's the point of it being my punishment if Ven and Roxas have to do it too?"

"Them doing it has nothing to do with your punishment. You'll be working twice as hard. I only want your brothers doing it so they can learn to defend themselves."

But Sora just wouldn't have any of it, "You'd really think having Axel train Roxas and Ven self-defense is a good idea? Look what he's already done to Roxas! Just think about what he can do to them and blame it on a training accident! More harm than good will come from this. Have more faith in your own military to train us."

Ansem slammed his hands on the table. Silencing his oldest son, "I will hear none of it! You'll do as you're told and train under who you're assigned to."

Sora instantly turned to Terra, "Mom you can't let him do this!" But the queen just shook her head, making the brunet pout.

"It's no problem King Ansem." Axel piped up. He wasn't too thrilled to be asked. He was brought here to help aid Roxas with his healing, not to become the princes' personal trainer. But as long as he was a guest in this kingdom he couldn't really reject the proposition without offending his father-in-law.

Ansem smiled at the redhead, "Thank you Axel. I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that, but like I said, I'm afraid that my general will go easy on my boys. I've also heard that Ignis has a rigorous training process and I'd like to indulge myself and see it in the works."

"But what about me?" Roxas chimed in, "I can't really train in my current condition. Are you really going to make me do it too?"

"We'd never make you do that Roxas." Terra said in a soothing voice, "Until you're well enough to move more freely you don't have to do it. You won't have as much as training as your brothers by the time you have to leave," Her eyes traveled over to Axel, "When you two get back to Ignis I'd like Roxas to keep his training up, but that's something for the both of you to discuss and neither myself or Ansem would get a say in it."

Roxas groaned and sat back in his seat. He had a feeling that Axel would keep his training up just to torture him even more. This could not get any worse. That was it couldn't until Ventus opened his mouth, "From what I walked in on earlier I'd say you could start training now." The eldest blond gave the couple a knowing wink followed by an evil laugh.

Terra blushed and looked away from the young couple, getting second hand embarrassment at the public announcement of his and Axel's personal life. Sora openly gapped at his younger brother, not believing what he was hearing. Ansem seemed to just be fed up with all of his kids antics for the night.

"Ventus that is not proper conversation for the dinner table. All three of you have been misbehaving since the moment you sat down. Don't make me send my grown sons to bed without supper because they don't know how to behave." The king looked at Axel, "I'm very sorry. This was supposed to welcome you into our family, but it seems we have offended you more than once in this short time." The man truly did seem remorseful and ashamed of his sons' bad behavior.

Axel took his glare off of Ventus and softened his face when speaking to Ansem, "Thank you. I appreciate the gesture none the less. I'm happy you're willing to let me into your family so easily."

Terra smiled at the prince across from her, "Of course sweetie. Marriage is taken very seriously here. You become a part of your spouse's family. Even if it is arranged. Remember if you ever need anything we're here for you." Axel returned the smile. It was a nice gesture.

"Thank you Queen Terra."

Things calmed down for the rest of dinner. Once everyone ate their fill they slowly excused themselves from the table. Roxas and Ventus were the last to leave. The youngest of the twins was quiet, still upset with his brother for what he had said earlier at dinner.

"What? I didn't do anything." Ventus sighed in annoyance. He had been trying to start a conversation with Roxas for the last few minutes only to get the cold shoulder.

"You told mom and dad about my personal sex life. Not to mention you don't even know what you saw." Roxas growled. He was suppressing the urge to deck his brother in the face, "I can't believe you did that."

"Look I'm sorry I said that. I know it was uncalled for. And I'm also sorry for walking in on you and Axel. I probably killed the mood." The blond did look truly sorry.

Roxas groaned in frustration, "You didn't kill any mood. I somehow managed to hurt myself and Axel was just checking."

"But you were both naked." Ventus sounded so convinced of what he saw.

"I just had my shirt off. And Axel had just gotten out of the shower and his clothes hadn't arrived yet. What you saw is a total misunderstanding. There's no way in hell I would ever have sex willingly with him. And he probably feels the same way."

Ventus frowned at that. He knew it was asking for much, but he wanted Roxas and his new husband to get along and have a healthy relationship before Roxas had to leave Lamina, just for his own sake and to lessen his worries about his twin's safety, "Oh. I'm sorry for assuming. Can we make up now?"

The older blond did look sorry for his actions and his pathetic face tugged at Roxas's heart strings, "Yeah. You're forgiven." Roxas let out a grunt when he was pulled into a hard hug by his brother, "V-ven? It's getting kind of hard to breath."

But the blond wouldn't let go, "I know. But indulge me for a bit." Roxas surrendered to Ventus's request and returned the hug. The two stood there in the middle of the hall for what could have been ages, "Feel better?"

Ventus nodded his head and released Roxas, "Yeah. I really am sorry about earlier. I wasn't trying to start any trouble. It just kind of slipped out because I was caught off guard by dad wanting us to join Sora with the training."

Roxas shook his head, "Well now you know that there's nothing going on between Axel and I. At least Mother and Father think things are going well between us so they don't have to worry."

"I'm worried about if things don't work out." Ventus quietly admitted.

Roxas pulled his brother into another hug, "Me too, Ven. But you know I'll have Kairi looking after me if Axel does do anything. And Hayner's going to try to come with whenever we leave. So I won't be totally alone."

"Yeah? That's great!" The oldest blond smiled, "So what are your sleeping arraignments going to be? Will you be okay sharing a bed with Axel?"

Roxas scrunched up in nose in thought. The bed really was the only place to sleep. But it was big enough that he wouldn't bump into Axel if the redhead wasn't a bed hog and stayed on his side, "I think I'll live." He admitted.

"Well if you get uncomfortable in the least bit you come straight to my room okay?"

"Yeah I will. Don't worry."

The brothers continued to walk back to their respective rooms, Ventus leaving first. When Roxas got to his room he walked in without knocking. He blinked in surprise to see Axel already there, sitting in the chair with one of Roxas's books in his hands.

"Wow, you found your way back." The blond's voice came out bland. He just said something to break an awkward silence before it had time to set in.

Green eyes peered up from behind the book, "I got a maid to help me. But I think I can get between here and the dining room with no help now."

"Yeah?" Roxas let out a heavy breath through his nose and rubbed the back of his neck. The words Axel had said earlier telling the blond to leave him alone ringing through his mind, "Thank you for covering for me earlier. If you want me to set something up so someone can show you around tomorrow I can do that."

A thin red eyebrow quirked in interest. Axel placed the book down on a small end table and stood up, "If I have to do my duties while I'm here then so do you. First lesson you and your brothers are going to learn under me."

Roxas crossed his arms over his chest, "Oh?"

"Consider your training starting tomorrow. I'll need you to show me the armory and training area. I'd also like to talk to the general that Sora is going to be learning under to make sure I don't step on any toes." The redhead walked into the bathroom for a few seconds and came back with ointment and gauze in his hands, "And while we're on the subject of my work, I also said your bandages were changed, but your poster was too lax. You never got anyone to tend to your injury."

Roxas growled low in his throat, "I'll get Ven to do it. I think I'll sleep with him while we're here. Give you space to adjust and all." The blond snatched the items out of Axel's grasp. After the events from earlier today and Ven's misunderstanding, Roxas wasn't feeling up for being shirtless around Axel and having the redhead touch him.

Axel didn't have a chance to say anything on the subject before Roxas was out of the room. Suddenly alone and not having anywhere to go, the prince went back to his book. He couldn't help but think his time in Lamina was going to be exactly like this, so he was already prepared to get used to being alone in the room.


	11. The Contract

"Once more!" Axel yelled from the side lines of the training yard. He had Sora and Ventus sparing against one another. They're training had been going on for three weeks now and Axel was still gaging the boys strengths and weaknesses so he could start the real training.

Sora seemed good with both of his hands, but when Axel tried to introducing him to duel wielding the brunet suddenly went off balance. It was quite frustrating for the redhead. He'd have to talk with General Basch about the boy's abilities so he can work on correcting Sora as well.

Ven on the other hand was completely dedicated to his right hand. The odd thing about the blond was he held his sword in a backhand fashion. Something Axel had never seen before. It was odd to say the least. But if the blond was corrected he would switch back to the odd stance without even noticing. Axel figured it was a lost cause to change it. As long as Ventus could hit his target then who was Axel to complain?

Both boys groaned. They were tired and sweaty. But Axel required at least two hours a day under his training. Once they finished up Sora reported to Basch for his military training. To say the least, the boy was constantly tired and bruised up. Ansem was wrong with his assumption that his general would go soft of his heir.

"Again? What was wrong this time?" Ventus groaned as he pushed his bangs out of his eyes. He wasn't used to being pushed so hard and his muscles were sore, making it hard enough to hold his blunt sword.

Axel crossed his arms over his chest. Dark circles underlined observing green eyes, "Nothing was wrong, but to get better you have to get the repetition going. So show me again." Even after a week the prince had to admit that Sora and Ventus had made big improvements. They were a little rusty, but Axel could tell that they'd master the sword fast. He couldn't help but be jealous over how natural they took to it.

The cling of swords clashing filled the air as Sora attacked only to be blocked by Ventus who quickly counterattack, landing a solid hit on his brother's side.

"Good job Ventus." Axel praised, "Sora you need to practice on your footwork."

Sora groaned in frustration and threw his sword to the ground, "This isn't fair! Why does Ven keep beating me? I've been training twice as hard!"

"Because you're concentrating on everyone else but yourself. Forget about Ven and think for yourself. Figure out where you need improvement. Ven's not perfect either." Ventus yelled his 'hey' but Axel ignored him, "It's only been a week. Stop being so hard on yourself."

"So when's Roxas going to be able to come out and train? He's moving around better." The blond asked. He wanted to take a break so badly that he hoped bringing his twin up would help distracted Axel.

And the distraction seemed to work, "He can move around more freely and it doesn't seem like he's in much pain. But he still has a long ways to go." The redhead's tough demeanor he usually got during their training seemed to drop if only a fraction, "But his stitches are holding and he's passed us having to worry about an infection setting in. So if things keep up like this, I'd say he can start at least light training in two weeks." There was a pause as Axel waited for one of the princes to say something else, "Okay enough of that. Sora I want you to work on your blocking and counterattacks. Ventus I want you to try holding your weapon right this time."

~X~x~X~x~

Roxas paced outside his father's study. He still hadn't asked him about Hayner becoming his personal butler. But since things had calmed down and everyone had time to adjust to not only Axel being there, but also his training regiment, it seemed like a good time to ask. He knocked on the door and patently waited to be summoned in.

When he got permission to enter the blond opened the door to find his father alone behind a large desk that was cluttered with papers, "Umm…Father?" He quietly asked. His nerves going off and making him afraid to ask.

"Yes Roxas? What is it?" Ansem put down the document he had been reading over to give his son his full attention.

The price took a seat in the open seat that was on the opposite side of his father's desk, "I was wondering if it was possible to make Hayner my butler. He's been working in the palace since we were both young and he's been my friend for just as long. He knows how to take care of me. And I was thinking since I'm going to start living in a new kingdom that it would be beneficial to me to have someone who knows me well enough like he does."

Ansem looked worried by his son's words, "Roxas," He started, his amber eyes looking over Roxas's shoulder rather than at the boy, "I'm troubled by your relationship with Hayner. You must remember that you are married now. And I don't think that it's appropriate for you to keep this friendship with that servant any longer."

"What? Why not? Hayner has always been there for me. I'd feel more comfortable with him in Ignis with me." Roxas felt his heart beat start to quicken. He wasn't expecting this.

"You must understand, our religion takes marriage very seriously."

"Yeah I know." Roxas rudely interrupted, "I've followed Carbuncle my entire life. But that has nothing to do with Hayner."

"It has everything to do with Hayner. And you best not speak to me in that tone again. I will not tolerate any of my children sassing me." The man took a breath to calm himself before continuing, "I have already spoken to King Xehanort about my worries on our clashing views of marriage, and he had agreed that Axel is not allowed to keep his concubine any longer even though their kingdom allows a husband to keep other women. Now how do you think it will look to send you back with a servant who has a close relationship to you? It would be like spitting in the man's face. He went out of his way to go against their customs to please me. And I have no intention of insulting him."

Roxas deflated in his seat a bit. He wanted to scream and cry about how unfair all of this was. Why was everyone out to get him? Why was he the one who had to sacrifice everything? After everything he had given up for his kingdom. No. For all the kingdoms. Why did he have to keep sacrificing his happiness? It wasn't like there was anything romantic in his and Hayner's relationship.

Anger flooded through the young blond. He wanted to get away. And without another word he stood from his seat and stormed out of the room. Roxas started to walk to his room until he remembered that it wasn't his anymore. Over the past few weeks he had started to spend less and less time in there to accommodate Axel and he had more or less moved into Ventus's room. He wanted to scream yet again. He had given up his personal space to make someone else happy.

The blond walked passed his bedroom and went into his twin's room without knocking. Ven was lounging on his bed, trying to relax after such a long day of training. The older blond sat up in surprise when he heard the door bang open.

"Roxas? What's wrong?" He got off the bed and pulled his brother farther into the room, forgetting about the open door, "Are you okay? Did Axel do something?"

By this point Roxas was in tears. His frustrations finally hitting the breaking point. He couldn't find his voice as his throat tightened. Ventus could tell his brother was upset and pulled him into a hug, "Shh…calm down. Everything will be all right." He ran a soothing hand up and down his twin's back.

Roxas clung to his brother and cried into his shoulder, "It's not fair. I get forced into a marriage. Get attacked by my husband. Have to give up my room along with my privacy. And now I can't even take Hayner back with me. Why does everything bad happen to me? Why am I not allowed to be happy?"

Ventus looked up from his brother's neck to see a dumbfounded Axel standing in the hall looking at the twins. Ventus pulled away from Roxas and nodded towards the redhead, "Can you come here?" The question caught the younger twin's attention, making him turn and see the man he resented. Roxas let out a weak whimper. He didn't want to deal with Axel right now.

The redhead ignored Roxas's glare and walked in the room, closing the door behind him, "What's going on?" His question came out almost concerned sounding, throwing Roxas off a bit.

"You two have a lot of baggage to work out. Its been weeks, so it's obvious that someone needs to sit the two of you down to talk about it." Ventus sat his baby brother down on his bed and pulled a chair up next to him, "Now sit and talk."

"And what? You're going to mediate us? I don't see the point since you'll just take his side on everything." The redhead scoffed but sat on the chair that was pulled next to him nonetheless.

"Of course not. I may have a bias. But keep in mind that you're going to be looking after my baby brother when he leaves so you need to be in your right mind as well." Ventus sat down on one of the chairs, "So Axel, you've looked tired lately. Have you not been able to sleep?"

The redhead seemed to tense. His hands were balled into his pants and squeezing the fabric, "I'm just used to having someone in my bed. Sorry it's hard for me to get used to the complete silence of being alone. Plus putting in the extra work into your training isn't helping."

Roxas tilted his head to the side and curiously stared at Axel. He knew the man was lying, but why? "You didn't have anyone in your bed while I was sleeping on the couch, and you seemed to be just fine."

When Axel didn't respond right away Ventus took in the man's defensive body language and something clicked, "You wouldn't happen to be afraid of the dark?"

"What? Of course not! I'm just used to hearing someone else breathing and moving around. It's weird sleeping in complete silence. What's the point of this anyway? I'm not the one with the issues right now." Axel crossed one leg over the other and leaned back in his chair, putting as much distance between himself and the twins as possible.

"No, but you're the reason for my issues." Roxas countered. He wasn't seeing what the point in any of this was. He refused to look at Axel.

"Okay there's a good starting point. Roxas what issues do you have with Axel?"

Blue eyes looked the redhead up and down with a scrutinizing glare, "Where to start?" The room filled with silence as Roxas gathered his thoughts, "I hate him." He simply put.

Ventus groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Yes we know that, but why do you hate him? Give us a real reason."

"Arrogant. Self-centered. Homophobic towards me for no reason since I don't like him. Looks down on me. And he just takes what he wants without thinking of anyone else." Roxas quickly ranted with one breath.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Axel growled, "You act like you're the only victim here. I lost my religion, I can't see Xion anymore, and I'm now the laughing stock of my whole kingdom."

"You didn't lose shit!" Roxas looked like he wanted to jump on Axel and punch him in the face, "You get to keep your home. Oh sorry I took away your nightly lay. Sorry to be such an inconvenience." The blond spat out his words with venom.

"Xion was more than that. She was my best friend."

"Yeah well she'll still be in the palace. You can see her whenever you want. I'll never be able to see my best friend ever again."

"Well sorry for taking away your lay." Axel mocked, "I bet you weren't even a virgin when I had you."

Time in the room seemed to halt. Roxas couldn't catch his breath. Why did Axel have to bring that up? He had been trying to forget that night and move passed it. Roxas stood from the bed without a word and bolted from the room, ignoring his brother's calls to come back.

Both Ventus and Axel followed Roxas out the room and saw the blond run to his bedroom. The slam of the door blocked them from following farther.

"Roxas?" Ventus knocked on the door and tried the handle. Locked, "Roxas come out. Please?" He pleaded. But no response came. Dark blue eyes turned to Axel, "We need to talk." The redhead didn't get a say in the matter and was dragged back to Ventus's room, "What the hell is your problem?" The blond snapped once the door was closed behind him, "First of all we all know you weren't a virgin when you and my brother consummated your marriage, so why are you trying to shame him on that. Secondly, Hayner is nothing but Roxas's friend. They've been nothing more than that since they were small. And thirdly, you know Roxas is having a hard time getting over what you did to him, and it seemed he was truly moving on. Why would you dig up old wounds like that? Do you seriously hate my brother so much that you have to keep up his suffering? Or is this just an act to hide something?"

Axel scoffed, keeping his eyes set on a random wall, "No wonder your father wants me to train you three. Weak, soft, and pathetic. He's probably ashamed of you. Do you think I wanted any of this? I've forsaken my soul and pride as both a man and a prince to Lamina. And yet here I am sucking it up while your brother is off crying in his room like a little girl. It's no wonder he was chosen. He even prefers to smell like a woman."

"Insult my brother one more time. I dare you." Ventus growled.

"And you'll what? Hit me? Go ahead and try. I'll take it as a declaration of war. And we both know my kingdom can destroy yours."

Blue eyes widened in shock, "Roxas was right, you are an arrogant ass. Would you really want to sacrifice what's already happened to both of you and start another war? You see us as weak and Roxas as a woman, but you know what? At least Roxas can show his feelings and doesn't hide behind one emotion. At least he knows who he is and is true to himself. At least he can show whether or not he's upset or jealous of…wait."

Axel froze, not liking how the anger drained from Ventus's face and was being replaced with something akin to understanding.

"Axel," Ventus looked at the redhead with pure curiosity, "Are you jealous of Hayner because you thought he and Roxas had a relationship?"

The redhead didn't answer. He refused to. Why would he be jealous of a servant?

"Axel," The blond called again. Green eyes looked over at the boy and he felt his heart clench at the pathetic face looking at him "You don't have to tell me if you have any feelings for Roxas. But please, for both of your sakes, be nicer to him. I can't stand to see him this upset, and I know there's some part of you that feels the same." Ventus slowly approached Axel so he could look him in the eye, "I can get you into his room. But I'll only help if you promise to stop snapping at him. He really needs someone when he gets back to Ignis, and I'd like that someone to be you. I promise you have no one to be jealous of."

The older prince looked away. He didn't have feelings for Roxas, "I have no reason to be jealous." But the light pink dusting the man's cheeks was betraying him.

Ven hummed, "Well that mirror over there," He pointed to one that looked similar to the mirror in Roxas's room, "Open up and it's a straight passage into Roxas's room." The blond winked and started to walk out of his room, "I'll leave you here to get your head together. Take your time." And with that the prince left Axel alone with his thoughts.

The redhead groaned in frustration. Did Ventus expect him to go running into Roxas's arms and tell the boy that things would work out and that he loved him? Ha! Yeah right. Axel sat down on the bed, so similar to the one he had been sleeping on, but there was something off about it. Instead of red, Ventus had gone for a green theme in his room. But that wasn't it. A hand ran over the duvet, idly smoothing out wrinkles.

It was the scent. The flowery smell of Roxas that usual covered him at night was gone. Axel didn't realize how much it had grown on him over the past few weeks. Axel took a deep breath in as he tried to clear his thoughts. He wasn't jealous of Hayner. He didn't care that the moment Roxas got the chance to leave Axel he'd immediately run off to find the dirty blond.

Nope. Axel didn't care in the least bit.

The man sat in silence for a while. Not letting the thought of an upset Roxas bother him. "Fuck it." Axel cursed as he stood from the bed and approached the mirror. He didn't see a handle that he could pull the mirror open with. Fingers traced the object, searching for any secret that might be hidden. Maybe Ventus was just messing with Axel and trying to make him feel like a gullible fool. Then one of his fingers caught a snag. A small hole between brick and glass. Axel managed to wiggle a couple fingers into the small space and pry the mirror away. A small, dark passage opened up for Axel. The redhead was shocked to find it, but not surprised. Every castle had its secrets, and it seemed this was one of Lamina's.

Without hesitation the redhead stepped in, not expecting the secret door to swing shut behind him, "Shit!" Grumbling under his breath the man walked down the narrow space with one hand stretched out in front of him.

The passage wasn't a long one, and Axel didn't feel any turns or drops so it didn't take him long to reach the other side. His fingers made contact with a smooth metal rather than rough brick. Placing both hands on the surface Axel gave a hard push until the wall swung outward, revealing Roxas's room.

The blond, who was curled up on his plush reading chair, jolted in shock. His wide red rimmed eyes looked almost scared when they landed on Axel. The boy whimpered and pulled his legs closer to his body, "Can you leave me alone and tell Ven to go fuck himself for showing that to you?"

Axel climbed out of the mirror and pushed it closed behind him, "I just wanted to apologize for what I said. Fucking sorry I wanted to check on you."

"What's the point of apologizing if you're just going to do it again? Maybe I should rape you and see how well you handle it." Roxas looked away from Axel to stare outside his window.

"Look I can only apologize so much-"

"You've barely apologized at all!" Roxas yelled. His breath coming out in angry pants, "You do nothing but walk around with an air of authority around you and then treat me like I'm insignificant when I get upset."

"Okay look, I'm sorry for what I said okay? I guess I was just…" Axel bit his lip. He couldn't say it, because he wasn't jealous. He really wasn't.

"You were just?" Roxas uncurled his legs so he could properly sit and face the man, patiently waiting for him to finish his sentence.

Axel shook his head, "It doesn't matter what I was. I need to man up and stop pushing my frustrations out on you."

"About damn time too." Roxas muttered almost to himself, "And you really think that makes up for everything? How do I know tomorrow you won't revert back to the way you always are?"

Axel sat on the satin bed and fiddled his fingers as he stared at the blond while he thought of a solution, "Give me until it's time to leave here. If I do anything to upset or offend you than I will personally go to your father and request that your friend join us back in my kingdom. But you're no allowed to provoke me on purpose. Understand? We fight and we have to sit down like adults and talk it out, like now." Roxas nodded his head, "And you're little friend can't piss me off either. He needs to learn his boundaries and respect me. I am a prince after all and he can't speak to me like he already does. He really is lucky I've let him get away with it thus far."

"And if he doesn't? What if Hayner pisses you off and you revert into calling me names and mocking me for being raped? Then what?"

Axel clenched his fist into the blanket and swallowed what little of his pride remained, "If that happens then you can do whatever you'd like to me. Beat me. Starve me. Hell you can even lock me in the stocks if you'd like. Do whatever you see fair."

Roxas seemed to think about the offer for a few minutes. Mulling over the offer. Without saying a word Roxas went to his desk and pulled out a piece of paper and quickly started to scrawl over it, "Come read this."

Axel got up from the bed and read over what the blond had written. It was almost word for word what the redhead had proposed, "A contract?"

"Yup. So does it sound good? We can add other things in it. Like if you kick me out of my bed I get to lock you in the dungeon for a day."

Axel plucked the pen out of the blond's hand and scribbled his signature at the bottom of the page, "No, this is good. But don't we need a witness or something to make it more legal?"

Roxas was handed the pen and he added his own signature, "This is just for us. As a reminder that we both agreed and can't go back on our word." The blond rolled up the paper and stuck it in a desk drawer.

Axel gazed down at the blond and stuck his hand out. Roxas hesitated but shook it, "Starting now I'll try to better myself." The redhead vowed.

"Starting now I'll do my best to be less sensitive and do my best to not set you off."

The two men shook on it. Small smiles on their faces with the knowledge that things would be slightly easier for them.

Roxas took in the redhead's slumped poster and the dark bags under his jade eyes, "So, when was the last time you had a decent night's sleep? You look dead on your feet. No wonder you've been so moody." The blond looked longingly at his bed. After his emotional distress and crying he wanted to take a nap before dinner. But Axel looked like he needed the sleep more.

Axel rubbed the back of his neck as he studied the exhausted looking boy next to him, "I could say the same about you. All that crying must have worn you down." The redhead looked at the bed as well, "Let's take a nap. We wouldn't want your parent to question why we're so tired at dinner now would we?" How Roxas stiffened at the suggestion did not go unnoticed by Axel, "It can be a test for how civil we can be. I mean we shared that bed at the inn, and this one is a good three sizes bigger. It's just nap. Are you really that afraid?"

Roxas's eyes left the bed to gently glare at the taller man, "Are you trying to break the contract and start a fight this early?"

Axel laughed and walked towards the bed, "It was a joke Roxas. You need to lighten up a bit." The redhead kicked off his shoes and laid on top of the blankets. He reclined his head on the soft pillows and closed his eyes.

Roxas gulped as he looked at the relaxed man. He could do this. It was just a nap. Axel would stay on his side of the bed and Roxas would stay on his. Taking a deep breath Roxas copied Axel, kicking off his shoes and laying down on the bed. He curled up in a ball with his back facing the redhead as he let sleep overcome him.

~X~x~X~x~

Roxas woke about an hour later. The heavy breathing next to him seemed to speed up. The blond turned around and saw Axel rolling form side to side, muttering under his breath. The man looked distressed. Roxas reached out, ready to wake the man thinking he was having a nightmare.

"Roxas." The name slipped out of the redhead's lips in a moan. Roxas froze, "Fuck." Axel rolled on his side facing the blond.

Roxas didn't know what to do. His eyes caught a bulging outline in the redhead's pants. Roxas was frozen in spot. His mind racing. He was too afraid to move. What if it woke up Axel? What would the man do if he was still in his aroused state?

Axel blindly reached out and gripped the blanket. The man gasped and quickly sat up. Roxas clenched his eyes closed and pretended he was asleep, "Fuck," He heard the Axel groan, "Why does this keep happening?" Roxas felt the bed shift. He held his breath, suddenly afraid of what would happen to him. But instead he heard Axel climb off the bed and walk into the bathroom.

Roxas stayed still until he heard the shower turn on. The blond slowly sat up. What had just happened? By the sounds of it this wasn't the first time this had happened to Axel. Roxas suddenly felt the need to get away. He slipped his shoes back on and quickly bolted from the room.

The blond idly walked the halls. He didn't know where he was going. All he knew was that he just wanted to get away. That was when he found himself in the kitchen.

"Oh, my young lord, did you want a snack or something?" A chubby lady who was stirring something over the stove asked.

Before he could answer Hayner was on him. The dirty blond had been in the corner peeling potatoes, but had stopped the moment he saw Roxas come in, "No Brahne he's fine." The boy grabbed Roxas by the arm and pulled him out of the kitchen, "Hey what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Roxas bit his lower lip. What Axel's dreams was no one's business and if gossip got around the castle Roxas knew that Axel would flip out on him, breaking the contract. "It's nothing. I just woke up from a nap and I'm still a bit drowsy." Hayner didn't seem to believe the smaller blond. Time for a distraction, "So Axel and I finally came to an understanding."

"Yeah?" The servant seemed to actually perk up at that. Happy that his best friend wouldn't be completely miserable anymore.

"Yeah. We agreed that if he upsets me again then you can come to Ignis." The prince's appearance seemed to brighten, "But neither of us can purposely push his buttons. Oh and you have to treat him with more respect."

Hayner blew air out of his nose, "Look I'm happy you two are finally going to start getting along and all, but do I really have to be a factor in all of this?"

"Because I'm your best friend and you'll do anything to make me happy."

"Yeah and going with you will make you happy. But at what cost Rox? I have some pride too you know. I don't want to suck up to that jerk."

Roxas rolled his eyes and playfully shoved his friend, "Then I guess you won't get to see all the pretty Ignis servants there. Plus the main thing is that if you piss Axel off once you're out. But Axel gets a few chances to prove himself and work things out with me if he messes up."

"Yeah I was talking to that nurse that tagged along. She's pretty cute. Loyal as fuck to her kingdom though. She refused to go on a date with me because she doesn't want to stay." Then an idea seemed to light up in those brown eyes, "Say if Axel loses this deal then I can go there right? Oh boy she can't reject me now!" Hayner patted Roxas on the shoulder and quickly took off down the hall.

"Well then." Roxas muttered. He'd never seen his best friend chase a girl this hard. The blond sighed. Great he was alone with his thoughts again. He started to walk to his twin's room, but Ventus was just walking out.

"Oh you're finally up." The older blond smiled, "I was just coming to wake you and Axel up for dinner." Roxas looked taken aback for a second, "I went through the passage because Axel never came out and I was kinda worried that one of you killed the other." Ventus laughed, "You two sure did look cute while sleeping. So I take it everything went alright? Or did you really kill the poor guy and just set him up to look like he was sleeping?"

Roxas groaned and ran his hands over his face, "Shut uuuuuup." He moaned, "We reached an agreement that I'll fill you in on later, okay?" He looked at his brother from in between his fingers, "So food's ready?"

"Yeah. But we should still go wake up Axel. You know it's kind of the nice thing to do." Ventus looped his arm with Roxas's and pulled the younger down the hall, completely unaware of Roxas's slight struggle to get away. Ventus opened the door and frowned at the empty room, "Where the hell could he have gone to?"

Roxas was about to mention the shower, but the bathroom door chose that moment to open revealing a fully dressed Axel who was finishing drying his hair. His green eyes landed on the blonds and Roxas could have sworn the redhead was blushing, or it was just from the lingering heat from the shower.

"Hey Axel, dinner's ready. I thought I should come get you instead of the maids since I didn't want them walking in on a possible murder scene." Ventus winked, "But I can see that that didn't happen. How was your nap?"

"Ummm…." Axel looked at Roxas before quickly looking away, "It was alright. I feel a little bit better."

Ventus smiled at that. He was completely oblivious to Axel and Roxas's uneasiness. The three left the room and started to make their way down to the dining room. Roxas hung back from the small group, lost in his thoughts. He could barely look at Axel. He jumped when he felt a hand touch his arm.

"Hey, you okay?" Axel whispered so Ventus wouldn't hear them talking. The older twin was walking a few feet ahead, "You kind of look like a zombie. I don't need you walking into something and getting a black eye. I'm pretty sure your father would take my head if he thought I was beating you."

Roxas tried to laugh at that, but it came out weak, "Please, if my father really cared about you hurting me then he would have done something when you cut me."

"Roxas." Axel growled in warning, "Don't start."

The blond looked down at the ground. He didn't know why he brought that up, "Sorry. I think bringing up your past mistakes is turning into a habit for me. Please be patient with me." Roxas sighed.

"Okay. If I'm allowed chances then it's only fair you are too." Axel agreed. He looked down at the timid looking blond, "But seriously, are you okay?"

"Yeah. I think I might be getting sick." How was he supposed to ask Axel about what he had been dreaming about? Hell for all the blond knew, Axel had been dreaming about Xion and Roxas walked in on them. Yeah, that was probably it. "So, how did you sleep? Any better since someone was in the room with you?"

Axel blushed. It had to be a blush, Roxas knew it, "I guess. I mean it wasn't for that long so I'm still tired." Then something came out of the redhead's mouth that shocked both of them, "Are you going to sleep with Ven again tonight? Because I mean, it's your room. I kind of feel bad about taking it over."

Roxas frowned, "I don't know. Maybe? I wasn't really planning on sleeping in my room again so you can have space. Let me think and I'll let you know after dinner."

"Okay fair enough." The redhead smiled.

~X~x~X~x~

Roxas groaned, "Do I have to?" He practically whined. The blond was laying on his twin brother's bed. His eyes were closed and arms were spread out in front of him. Dinner had ended a couple hours prior and Roxas never gave Axel his answer. He could feel those green eyes on him the whole time and could barely think. What was going on with Axel? Was it because he was regretting the contract? Or did Roxas simply have something on his face that only the redhead saw? Whatever the reason though, it was bothering the young prince.

Ventus was busy digging through his wardrobe looking for a set of pajamas, "You haven't even tried to sleep one night with him. Roxas, you need to get used to it sooner or later. I won't always be around for you to sleep with. I want to know my baby brother will be fine until I can see him again. So for the sake of your relationship and my health, please go back to your room." The older twin turned to give his brother a pleading look. It wasn't just for his sake, their whole family needed to know things would be okay. The blond walked over to the bed and peered into matching blue orbs, "Please?"

Roxas pouted, hoping his pathetic kicked puppy look would soften Ventus up. But the older blond didn't look convinced, "But Ven," He moaned, "I did sleep with him the other night. Remember at the inn? So since I already did one night I shouldn't have to do this, right?" He hoped his flawed logic would work.

"And see you lived!" Ven cheered, "Now why not try to beat your high score and go for two nights with Axel and not dying?"

Roxas groaned but slid off the bed, "Fine. But if he so much as rolls onto my side of the bed I'm coming back in here."

"Sounds like a deal to me." Ventus hugged his brother, "Be nice and no biting your husband."

Roxas's eyes narrowed, "I'm always nice and he'll get bit if he deserves it."

"See you'll be fine. Now scoot, I'd like to sleep at some point too you know." Ventus shooed his brother off of his bed, "Good night and sweet dreams Roxas.'

"Yeah, yeah. You too." Roxas muttered as he walked out the room and into his. He found Axel already dressed for bed and curled up under the covers, "Sorry I'll just be a moment then you can sleep." The blond quickly pulled out a change of clothes from wardrobe.

"It's fine. I still have to check on your stitches." Axel stretched to wake himself up a bit. He had gone out to do some personal training after dinner and was probably exhausted.

Not wanting to be a bother Roxas hurried to change and brush his teeth. He walked out of the bathroom shirtless and holding the things Axel would need to change his bandages. The redhead accepted them and had the blond sit on the edge of the bed.

"These are looking a lot better." Axel observed as he lightly ran his fingers over the large injury, stopping just above Roxas's hip. The blond blushed as his body was studied, "Does it still hurt?" Green met blue and Roxas had to look away.

"Sometimes if I stretch one way too far." Roxas's stomach twitched when he felt the cool gel spread across his abdomen. The two were quiet as Axel finished dressing up the blond's wound. Axel blew out the candles as Roxas crawled under the covers. The blankets were pulled up to his nose as blue eyes trained on the redhead until all the flames were out and they only had the moon peering out from behind the curtains as a light source.

The bed shifted as Axel laid down on the other side, "Is this okay?"

Roxas bit his lip and tried to calm his nerves. What had happened earlier was a fluke. Everything would be fine, "Yeah."

The air that surrounded them was filled by an awkward silence. Roxas was wide awake but knew the man next to him was on the verge of sleep.

"Roxas?" Axel caught him off guard, "What's your favorite animal?"

"Foxes. Why do you ask?" In the moonlight Roxas could see Axel shift and those bright green eyes staring at him.

"I don't know. Just thought it'd be kind of nice to get to know you a little better." Axel sounded sincere. Maybe Roxas should humor him.

"What about you? It's no fair if you're the only one asking questions and not answering them as well." Roxas turned so he could face Axel.

"Horses. I've always enjoyed riding them." Axel curled his arm up under his pillow as he tried to get more comfortable, "Food?"

"Anything with chocolate in it. Ven's the same but with caramel."

Axel laughed, "Twins till the end. I'm not a fan of sweets. You can have my portion of anything chocolate."

Roxas gave the redhead a toothy smile, "You got yourself a deal." Axel chuckled at that, but stayed quiet as he waited for the blond to ask a question, "Umm….tell me about your brothers and Kairi."

"Well Reno's pretty cool, though he sometimes acts like there's a stick up his ass. But that's mostly due to him taking his job as my father's heir way too seriously. But we were pretty close when we were younger and I think I can call him my best friend. Kairi isn't a force to be reckoned with. You're lucky she took to you so easily. Vanitas…I don't know. I never really bonded with him. He grew up training constantly so he could be the very best in the military. I guess he figured if he wasn't getting the throne he might as well do something. But I think he likes the violence that comes with fighting."

"Vanitas kind of scares me." Roxas admitted, "Probably more than you do." The last part was almost a whisper, but he saw Axel tense up at it. Suddenly Roxas felt guilty, "But you can be okay sometimes."

"Well that's good to know." They were both quiet, lost in their own thoughts. Then Axel spoke up, "Maybe we can smuggle Sora into Ignis and ship Vanitas back here. Then there'd be one less person for you to worry about."

Roxas laughed at that. He unconsciously shifted closer to the redhead, "That'd be nice. Tell me more about your family. What was your mother like?" When Axel didn't answer right away Roxas started to worry. Queen Lightning was a sensitive subject for Axel, and the last time he tried to talk to the blond about it Roxas had thrown it back in his face.

"She was…" Axel was hesitant, Roxas could feel the man's anxiety radiating off of him, "She was a lot like your mother. She was very material and doted on me and my brothers. I remember one time Reno and I were playing tag in doors and Reno broke a vase. My dad got so pissed but mom could get scary if one of us was crying. So Reno's standing there balling his eyes out while my father's yelling at the top of his lungs. My mom, she comes storming down the hall with a sword strapped to her side. She threatened to cut my father in half the next time she heard him talk to any of us like that again." Axel's voice sounded light and happy. But then the redhead's mood changed, "Then, when she was pregnant with Kairi, she was constantly sick until they finally put her on bedrest for the remanding months. Her usual happy attitude changed. It was like she knew what was going to happen." Axel sighed, his eyes closed, "I think she would have liked you." He finally said his voice cracking.

Roxas gave a small smile and reached out for Axel, wrapping his fingers around man's elbow and giving a sympathetic squeeze, "I would have liked her too." He felt the redhead tremble. Roxas let go of the man and lifted his hand until it came in contact with a wet cheek, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

Axel shook his head, "No, you're fine. I need to stop crying over something stupid like this."

"It's not stupid." Roxas moved closer so he could run his fingers through long red hair, "She was your mother, there's nothing wrong with missing her." He felt the man relax a bit under his touches. The blond didn't want to admit it, but seeing Axel so venerable was a nice feeling. It made the man less intimidating and more human.

"Thank you." Axel whispered, his tears still running down his face, but not as much as before Roxas began to comfort him. The feeling of Roxas's hands combing through his hair reminded him of his mother. Just the way she would calm him on rougher nights. He released a content sigh as his breathing slowed.

Roxas felt Axel fall asleep, but instead of fully pulling away, he traced a wet tattoo on the prince's high check bone silently wondering if things could work out.


	12. The Priestess

Axel couldn't stop tapping his foot. The echo bounced off all the walls in the room. And it was taking everything in Roxas not to slap the man. They had woken up early in the morning with Axel's head resting on Roxas's chest. What should have been the start of an awkward day fizzled away when Roxas quietly asked if the redhead was feeling any better.

Now the two were eating breakfast alone since they had slept in, "So more training today?" Roxas asked to try, if anything, to get Axel to stop that blasted toe tapping.

"Yeah. Your brothers are improving faster than I anticipated. Let's hope you learn just as quickly as them." Axel finished the last of his food and stood from his stop, "I should head out there and see if Sora and Ven warmed up or if they're lazing about." The sadistic smile on Axel's face told Roxas that the redhead secretly hoped that his brothers hadn't warmed up.

Roxas watched the man go and let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. It hadn't even been twenty-four hours since he and Axel had come to their agreement, and things seemed to be progressing quite nice. But there was a nagging voice in the back of the blond's head that told him that this was all an act. Nothing Axel was doing was sincere and he was just playing Roxas.

The blond shook his head and stood. He did not care about what Axel's motives were. What Roxas wanted was for the chance to bring his best friend to his new home. So why did he feel disappointed?

~X~x~X~x~

"Can we stop now?" Sora panted. He was doubled over with his hand holding him up by his knees, "I still have to report to General Basch."

Axel looked up at the sun. It was too early to stop. They still had a good hour left. But the redhead had other things to occupy his mind with, "I don't see why not. But tomorrow I want both of you to work twice as hard. Agreed?"

"Agreed." Both Sora and Ventus chimed in unison.

Sora quickly left so he could grab a nap before he needed to meet up with Basch for his second round of training. Ventus went to retreat back into the castle but was called back by Axel.

"I need your help with something." The redhead looked a bit nervous. He rubbed his arm and looked around to see if there was anyone in earshot.

Ventus approached Axel with a smile, "Yeah? Do you need any Roxas advice? Because I'll help you as long as it's not to extort him or anything."

"No, I just was just curious about this kingdom's religion. I know Carbuncle and Ifrit ideologies are different, but I wanted to see where they were similar too. One of the reasons for the war was because of our gods. So, if mine and Roxas's marriage was to end the war, wouldn't it also make sense for us to understand each other even on a religious stand point? That way something like this won't happen again." Axel explained.

"Yeah? That's awesome!" The blond bounced on the balls of his feet out of excitement, "But I don't think I can properly explain things to you. Why don't you go to the temple? I'm sure the priestess would be more than happy to answer any questions you have."

Axel nodded. Maybe talking to her would help more then Ventus. The redhead had other questions that needed answering, but he wasn't sure Ventus was the right person to ask, "I think I'll do that. Thanks Ven." The redhead excused himself so he could get his horse.

As Axel rode through the town he was surprised at how friendly everyone was. People didn't seem to fear him as he trotted down the streets. Instead they all would wave or call out a hello. The temple wasn't hard to find. It sat in the middle of the town. The tall steeple could be seen over all of the houses and businesses. The large stained glass windows reflected beautiful colors onto the ground and shimmered in the sunlight. Axel tied Zephyr outside and walked in.

The inside of the temple was eloquent. The long pathway was covered in a soft purple rug. Flanked on both side were columns of marble that were wrapped in gold. At the end of the walkway was a statue that was so large it almost touched the glass ceiling. Carbuncle was usually depicted as a small god. It almost looked like a fox, but instead of one tail it had three. In the middle of the god's forehead was a large ruby that glowed in the afternoon sunlight.

"What a sight." A voice said, making Axel startle. A young woman walked into the light. Her dark pink hair that was tied off into pigtails fell in ringlets over her shoulders. A pink crop top and loose brown skirt showed off the girl's slim midriff. The beads on her many necklaces and bracelets jingled with her every move, "It's not every day that we see a prince from a foreign kingdom in a sacred temple of another god."

"Who are you?" Axel demanded. He didn't know why he felt so uneasy. It may have been something to do with her all-knowing, bright green eyes.

The girl just smiled and tilted her head, "My name's Vanille. I take care of this place."

"So you're the priestess?"

Vanille nodded and touched the side of the Carbuncle statue, "I am. And we've been waiting for you, Prince Axel. We understand you have something important to tell us."

The man swallowed. How did she know his name? "How would you know why I came?"

"You're afraid. You seek answers that only I can give." The woman walked away from the statue and approached Axel. Her hand clasped behind her back as she walked closer, "Why would someone as loyal to Ifrit as you come to Carbuncle for sanctuary?"

"I was just curious about the war and how our deities played in it. I mean Carbuncle's supposed to be peaceful, so wouldn't the people here be as well? Why would the war last so long?"

"Is that really your question?" Vanille hummed in disappointment, "Well I guess I'll humor you for now. Ifrit is God of War correct?" She didn't wait for the redhead's answer, "Carbuncle does teach peace, but he also is the god of defense. You attack us and we'll protect our own and destroy anyone who dares come after what we cherish the most. Your ancestors long ago wished to possess something of ours and wanted to take it by force."

"So we caused the war?" Axel was taken aback by that. His whole life Axel had been taught that Lamina invaded their lands.

"Yes. There are some things that should not be gathered, and Ignis wished to possess them for power. And try as we might, our treasure still ended up in your family's land not too long ago." Vanille frowned and looked back on the statue, "Carbuncle said to not worry, it's in good hands, but I still can't help it."

What the woman was saying confused Axel, "What do we have? I've never heard of these items."

"The knowledge of the items was lost early in the war. It would have been too dangerous for others to know. Only the caregivers of the temples know each kingdom's respective item. I'm sorry but I cannot tell you anymore. It is for the best." Axel frowned at that. Now he was more curious than before. He wanted to ask more but Vanille spoke again, "Now it's my turn to ask something. Why are you really here Prince Axel?"

"I…I've gone against one of Ifrit's laws, and now I don't know what to do. I keep having these dreams that wake me in the night, and I shouldn't be thinking these thoughts at all. Yet my body betrays me." The redhead looked away, ashamed of what he was saying and even more for what he was thinking.

"And what law would that be? Did you happen to fall for our littlest prince? Are your dreams of you and Prince Roxas? You are afraid to be cast into Hell because of your homosexual relationship, aren't you?" Axel tensed at her words, giving Vanille her answer, "You must realize that your marriage with Prince Roxas not only united kingdoms, but also deities. Maybe it's time that you started to find peace in yourself and accept who you really are. I can smell fire and ash on you. Ifrit smiles on your marriage. The old ways are done with, so you can love and embrace your husband with no shame."

Axel didn't look convinced, but it seemed like a heavy weight had been lifted from his shoulders, "I never said I loved him."

The priestess gave the redhead one last smile, "I'm afraid it's getting late and I have other duties I need to go attend to. It was lovely meeting you Prince Axel. I wish both you and Prince Roxas a happy and prosperous marriage." Vanille bowed and went to the back of the temple.

Axel heard a door open and close somewhere and assumed he was now alone. The redhead looked up at the statue and frowned. So Ifrit and Carbuncle were united as well now? He had never heard of something like that happening before when kingdoms married into each other before.

~X~x~X~x~

"Did you have fun?" Roxas jumped up from the stair case he and Hayner had been sitting on and leaned over the banister to greet the man who had just walked into the palace.

Axel quirked an eyebrow at the blond, "I guess? What are you doing up there?" Despite himself Axel felt a smile spread across his face as he looked up at Roxas.

Roxas tilted his head to the side, "Waiting for you. What does it look like?" Axel heard Hayner groan from his seat on the stairs. Who knew how long Roxas made him sit there.

"Yeah? Why would you do something like that?"

Roxas looked flustered for a moment. Almost like he didn't even know the answer, "Well, Ven said you went out and I just wanted to know if you enjoyed your time out in town. I mean you were out all day so you must have liked it right?"

It was late in the day. Axel couldn't go back to the castle after he had left the temple. He just wasn't ready to go face Roxas, so he rode his horse around and explored the town until the sun started to set. The prince even talked to a few of the locals to pass the time. Everyone seemed happy to meet him and all extended their congratulations back to Roxas. Most of the people offered him food or some trinket in respect.

"Yeah, it was fun I guess. The people here are really nice."

"Oh? They're not like this to you in Ignis?" Roxas cocked his head to the side. It was obvious he was trying to get a feel for his new home.

Axel just shrugged, "Not really. They're respectful most of the time. But they tend to leave us alone for the most part."

"Oh. Well at least you enjoyed your time out." Roxas smiled and Hayner gaged somewhere in the background. The younger price frowned and turned to glare at his friend, "Don't you have a nurse or someone to go woo?"

"Whatever. You're just jealous." Hayner ran up the stairs to go find his girl, leaving Axel and Roxas alone in the entranceway.

"So," Axel suddenly realized how alone the two of them were. He could feel his heartbeat quicken. Shit when did this start happening? "What did you do all day?"

"Nothing much. I wanted to go out riding, but Olette wouldn't let me." The blond crossed his arms and pouted a little bit, "So me, Ven, and Sora played a board game. Did you know that since you cut them some slack Captain Basch went extra hard on Sora?" Roxas laughed a bit, "He could not stop bitching about how tired he was and he was covered in bruises."

Axel cracked a smile as well, "Well it looks like I can't do that again. Or maybe I should talk to Basch and intensify Sora's training. I mean he still has enough energy to talk, so we must be doing something wrong."

"Don't you dare." Speak of the devil. Sora was walking down the stairs, clutching onto the banister for balance, "I can barely stand as is."

"But you still are, so that just means you have enough energy left. Maybe I should have you run an extra lap while carrying weights." Green eyes looked the brunet up and down, "Yeah that should work. And of course Ven'll have to do it too."

"That's just evil." Roxas mumbled.

Axel looked down on the blond, "Yeah? Well you'll hate me even more once you're healed up. I'll work you twice as hard so you can play catch up."

Sora pointed at his shocked looking brother and laughed, "Ha! Soon you'll know my pain!"

"What are you laughing at? At least I won't have Basch on my ass when it's over." Roxas spat back.

Sora slowly made his way down the stairs, "Better than having Axel on it twenty-four seven. But I'm pretty sure you're used to that by now." The brunet stuck his tongue out.

Roxas glared daggers. It was war.

"At least I don't look like Vanitas."

Axel stood in between the brothers, just in case things heated up anymore.

"Well at least I have muscle. I bet you wouldn't last a day under the harsh training."

"I'll show you muscle." Roxas started to storm up to his brother, only to be halted by a strong hand holding his upper arm, "Let me go!" He tried to pull out of Axel's hold but the man was too strong, "Axel let me the fuck go!" Tears started to prick at his eyes.

"Roxas calm do-"

"No!" The blond kicked Axel in the shin. The man cursed out in pain and let go of the slim arm. In a flash Roxas was up the stairs and out of sight.

Sora watched the whole scene with a slack jaw, "What the hell was that?" He demanded as he advanced on Axel, "Why did my brother freak out when you touched him? I thought you two were okay now. Ven said that he saw you two…" The brunet gasped, "You raped him again didn't you." The prince's voice dripped with venom.

Sora advanced on Axel with a clenched fist, "You fucking bastard!" He swung at the man, but Axel managed to grab the arm and pin Sora against the nearest wall. There was a small part of him happy that the guards were stationed outside and all of the palace's servants were busy somewhere else. If anyone caught what he was doing he could get into serious trouble.

"I didn't do anything." He growled into Sora's ear, "I don't know why he did that. I never did anything to Roxas and what Ven saw was just bad timing. I would never do anything to Roxas without his consent."

"Oh, now you'll ask for his consent!? Where was the consent back then huh? Bastard if you did anything to him I'll-"

"I would never do anything to hurt him!" Axel bit out. He released Sora and stood to his full height, using it to his advantage to intimidate the small brunet, "That was then and this is now. I've learned from that. I can't stand this stigma against me, and the constant reminder of what I did being thrown in my face. I would never do anything like that to him again." The redhead sighed in defeat, letting his tough demeanor drop a bit, "I don't want him to hurt anymore."

Sora took in the defeated looking man in front of him, "How can I believe you? How do I know I can trust you? You don't even like Roxas. For all I know you're all talk and when you two are alone you beat him."

"Sora, do you really think I beat him?" When the brunet stayed silent Axel knew what the answer was, "I know I left a bad first impression, but over the past month I have been trying to clean up my act and move forward. Hell Roxas and I even came to our own truce and are sharing a bed. Why can't any of you seem to be able to do that?"

Sora's mouth set in a thin line as he tried to form a thought, "How do you feel about Roxas?"

Axel wanted to groan. What was with people today and asking him that, "We're just trying to get on better terms with each other. I don't plan on having a relationship with him."

"So you're saying you just want to get along with my brother? Maybe even be friends? That's what you're saying isn't it? But-" Sora paused as he studied Axel's face. He may not look it, but the Lamina heir was good at reading people, "Why do I get the feeling you're lying about not wanting a relationship with Roxas?"

"Because I like women." The redhead said bluntly, "I'm trying to get over the homophobic ways I was brought up with for him, but that doesn't mean I want anything more from him."

"So you're prepared to be alone for the rest of your life?" Sora pressed, "You'll live the rest of your life without love or possibly even sex. And the same for Roxas." The brunet frowned, "Because I don't want that for him. Roxas deserves happiness."

"I don't know if I can promise you that." Axel sounded almost ashamed. His mind and heart both pulling in opposite directions, "I should go check on him." The older prince left and quickly made his way back to his room, not wanting to talk to Sora any longer.

The door was unlocked to Axel's surprise. Roxas was sitting at the head of the bed, looking down at the bedspread with tired eyes. He didn't even acknowledge that Axel had walked in.

"I'm sorry for grabbing you. I just didn't want to have to break up a fight between you and Sora."

Axel's words seemed to startle Roxas. "I…I don't know why…" The blond bit his lower lip, confusion spread over his face, "I just remembered how you held me down and I couldn't get away from you." Fists clenched in blond hair as Roxas's breathe sped up.

"Hey," Axel reached for Roxas, but stopped. Touching him now would only make things worse, "Rox you need to calm down. You know I won't do that again. Hell I didn't even want to do it the first time. You're safe." His voice was low and calm. He stayed on the other side of the room, not wanting to crowd the young blond.

"I know." Roxas took in a shaky breathe. His eyes clamped shut, "I know. I'm sorry I just-" He had to stop and let out a whimper.

Axel was starting to get distressed. He didn't know what to do. He just knew he wanted Roxas to stop crying. He slowly approached the blond and sat at the foot of the bed, "Roxas you have my word that I would never hurt you again. What can I do to prove it?"

The blond look up at the man and set his mouth in a frown, "I don't know." He took in a deep breathe, gathering all of his courage. It was small, but Roxas moved closer to Axel, "Don't…just stay okay?" Roxas's breaths sounded labored as he tried to slow it down.

Axel felt a jolt run up his arm when a light touch brushed up against him. Roxas gently ran his fingers up and down the man's arm. Slowly he built up the courage and brought his hand up to Axel's face, making the redhead face him. Green and blue looked at each other as Roxas traced the triangle tattoos slowly.

Axel grunted when he suddenly found himself on his back. Roxas hovered over him with his hands pinning the larger prince down, "What?" The redhead tried to sit back up but was pushed back down, "Roxas this isn't funny. What are you doing?"

"Just stay okay?" Roxas panted. His fingers flexed into Axel's shirts. The redhead stilled and completely surrendered to the boy. He felt his heart start to speed up when cold fingers played with the hem of his shirt. Hands grasped both sides of Axel's button up shirt and pulled until the thread gave way and the shirt ripped in half.

Those hands kept busy with rubbing down the man's chest. Roxas looked down on Axel with uncertainty, wanting to know what to do next. But the redhead never voiced his opinion and his face was blank. The slow, circular motion in the middle of Axel's chest were awkward and it showed how unexperienced Roxas was. But he slowly grew bolder and traveled downward. Axel's breathe hitched when the touches were right above the hem of his pants. Fingertips traced the defined abs.

Roxas looked up from his fingers and into green orbs. Still a blank stare, "Shit." Roxas rolled off of Axel so he was laying on his back, the heel of his palms digging into his eye, "Why didn't you fight back?"

Shocked green eyes stared at the celling, "You wanted me to fight back? Because I'm not entirely sure what you were trying to do."

Roxas groaned and rolled away from the redhead, "I don't know. I wanted to see what you would do. Why didn't you try to push me off?"

"Because I didn't want to hurt you." The words easily came out the redhead's mouth. But how far would he have let Roxas go before he stopped him? With a groan Axel sat up and pulled at the tatters that was now his shirt, "Damn you really did a number on this." He looked over to Roxas who was still laying on his back with his hands covering his face, "Were you trying to start a fight?" The redhead carefully asked.

Roxas shook his head and from behind his hands he mumbled, "I wanted to dominate you." His fingers spread apart and he looked at the redhead from behind them, "I wanted to see if I could be stronger than you. But you didn't even try to move me. Why?"

"Because I'm tired of hurting you. I thought we already established that."

"So you'd let me hurt you?" Axel never answered, "I want to hurt you." Roxas shyly admitted, "I've been waiting for the chance so I could do something."

"Do you really hate me that much?" Axel stood, he couldn't bring himself to look at Roxas, "Was that what you were thinking when you were waiting for me to return?" The redhead was surprised at how calm his voice came out. He knew he should be upset with the blond, but instead all he felt was a harsh pain in his chest.

"I don't know." Roxas's voice was a quiet whisper. With his finger covering his eyes again the blond let out a defeated sigh. Things couldn't get any worse.

~X~x~X~x~

"Ansem," The quiet voice caught the king's attention from his work. Amber eyes looked into deep purple, "I'm worried."

"About what my dear?" The man gave his wife his full attention.

Terra closed the door behind her and approached her husband, hands clasped in front of her chest, "I want babies." Ansem opened his mouth to reply that the woman was too old to have another child, but quickly closed it knowing that the woman would take the fact as an insult, "I'm not talking about myself, of course. But the fact remains that I want babies in the castle. I miss raising the boys and having grandchildren would be a blessing."

"But you know that it's impossible at this time. Only one of our sons are married and it's to another prince. Sora has yet to find a suitable companion for himself." The old man frowned, "During our short stay in Ignis I found Sora talking to Xion."

"Xion?" The queen's interest was piqued, "But why would he want to talk to her? She's nothing more than a common concubine to him."

"He's been known to flirt with the servants here. Yes it could be seen as disrespectful for him to be doing that to a prince's property, but she's not anymore. If we can reach an agreement with Xehanort to take the girl, maybe we can wed her to Sora and get in Mare's good graces." Ansem explained. It didn't seem like this was something he thought of on the spot.

But Terra didn't seem happy with that solution, "Why would you want the favor of a kingdom that is on the brink of being extinct? Xehanort claimed the girl as his property for a reason and nothing you can say will convince him to give her up. And I don't care who she was before, our son marrying a whore won't do."

"It's someone Sora can wed and have an heir with." Ansem all but snapped, "The only other princess left for him would be Aqua, and Eriques has decided to respect her wishes to go unwed. We can reach out to the lord and ladies of the court to offer their children, but what we need is to make more alliances and strengthen our lands. King Demyx would do anything for us if we had Xion."

"Don't you think Xehanort has already thought of that?"

"Then why did he give her to Axel as a whore? He could have married her to him or Vanitas." Terra shook her head, "It doesn't make sense." The queen's eyes light up with a though, "Maybe we can give her back to Axel and he can share her with Roxas. Then they can conceive a child and we can have a grandchild." Terra seemed absolutely pleased with the thought while Ansem looked at his wife with mild shock.

"Terra, you won't let Sora marry a concubine, but you'd have no problem with breaking one of our relationship's sacred rules and let our son and his husband bed another?"

Terra fiddled with her fingers and looked down in shame, her golden curls falling in her face, "There's no way Xehanort would give us Xion. He took that girl for a reason. But Xehanort did bend his kingdom's religious views for us, so why can't we replicate the gestor?"

Still the king didn't look pleased with the suggestion, but he also knew that when his wife got an idea it was hard to sway her away from it. Ansem pinched the bridge of his nose and let out an irritated breathe, "I don't agree with this at all." His golden eyes looked into dark violet, "But if it'll make you happy, I'll allow them to have one child with another, just so you can have grandchildren. But then I don't want either Roxas or Axel with another person, or I will punish them as I see fit."

Terra smiled and kissed her husband on a stubble covered cheek, "Thank you love. I'll go tell them now."

The queen left the room, climbed up the stairs and gracefully walked towards Roxas's room. She gave a quick knock and walked into the room, "Roxas I have some news for you and-" She froze mid-sentence.

Roxas sat on the bed looking upset and ashamed, his blue eye downcast. It almost seemed like he was too lost in his own world and didn't even notice his mother's entrance. Axel was standing on the balcony. His open shirt blew in the cold evening air. He ran his fingers through his hair, messing up the spikes even more. The closed glass shut him off from the bedroom.

"Is everything alright?" The queen asked as she approached her son. She placed a cool hand on the boy's forehead, "You don't have a fever." She hummed and placed a slim finger under the boy's chin so he had to look at her, "Tell me what's wrong."

Roxas took in a deep breathe and leaned back so his mother wasn't forcing his head up anymore, "Its nothing."

"I can tell when a couple's fighting." Terra sat next to her son and rubbed his back, "Everything will work out. You two are only a month into your marriage so you're still adjusting to each other. Things will be harder since you didn't have time to court one another."

"If I was given the opportunity I still wouldn't court him." Roxas leaned into his mother's side, absorbing her warmth, "We do nothing but fight. There's only been a handful of peaceful moments between us, but they never last. We fight almost every time we see each other." The boy looked up and gave Terra a pleading look, "Is it possible for me to stay here when Axel leaves? King Cloud told me that when he and Queen Naminé first got married she would stay in her home kingdom for months at a time. Why can't I do that?"

"Oh baby," She ran her thumb up and down Roxas's arm in a small show of affection, "I wish it was that easy. But the circumstances are different. Cloud and Naminé weren't married to start a peace treaty like you and Axel. How would it look if we said we trusted Ignis but not enough to leave our son in their hands? And before you suggest it, no Axel can't move here. Xehanort requested his kingdom be your home from now on, and there was no swaying him."

Roxas groaned, "I hate it there."

Terra kissed the top of Roxas's head, "I know. This has always been home for you. But just remember you are always welcomed here whenever Xehanort and Axel sees it fit for you to leave. And when your father and I can get time we can visit you for a few days here and there too. But you'll never adjust to Ignis if you resist it the whole time. Same goes with Axel. Learn about him and stop being so stubborn and head strong. You'll learn to love him eventually."

"I'll never love him." Roxas all but growled.

The queen gave her son a sad smile, "Well at least learn to like him so you can live with less stress. The more allies you have in life the better. Now why don't you go out there and apologize to him."

The prince looked up with a shocked face, "How do you know I started the fight? He could have started it just as easily."

"Yes, but I know you. Out of all of my son's you were always the most confrontational. Not to mention once there's a thought in that little head of yours there's no getting it out. So go apologize. I have something I'd like to talk to you two about."

She gently pushed Roxas off of the bed and motioned for him to go. With an annoyed groan Roxas opened the balcony doors. Axel turned at the noise, "What? Come out here to see if you can toss me over the edge? Because if you do I still won't fight you."

"Okay you know what? I'm fucking sorry I did that, okay? And I'm sorry I said that. I don't want to hurt you. Maybe I did a little a few weeks ago, but not anymore. I still don't like you or trust you, but I'm willing to put everything aside and work towards forgiving you." Roxas explained. He walked closer to Axel and took in the surprised look on the man's face, "And look, instead of sitting inside and being mad at you I came out here so we can talk like adults, per our contract."

Green eyes looked passed the blond and into the bedroom where he saw Terra patiently waiting for them, "Your mother sent you out here didn't she?" Axel's voice was almost bland, like he expected something like that to happen.

Roxas opened his mouth in an attempt to argue that no he did it on his own, but closed it. There was no use arguing the obvious, "But I did come out. Normally I wouldn't even go this far even with my mom telling me what to do without kicking up a fight. Now will you accept my apology and come inside? My mother wants to tell us something."

Thin red eyebrows lifted in mild surprise at that, "So I won't have to go to bed with one eye open tonight? What about dinner? Do I need to have someone taste test everything before I eat?"

"Nope. And if it makes you feel any better than I can try the food myself and sleep in a different room." The blond sounded genuine.

"Won't be necessary." Axel walked passed Roxas and back into the room where the queen was waiting, "Ma'am." The redhead gave a respectful bow.

Terra fanned her face and looked away, "You don't need to act so respectful in a private environment such as this, Axel. But could you please put on a little more clothing?"

Axel blushed as he remembered his torn shirt. He had just needed some air and to get away from Roxas earlier that he had completely forgotten about changing out his ruined shirt in favor of a new one, "I'm sorry. Excuse me." The redhead walked to the other side of the room where Terra's back was facing and grabbed a new shirt that easily slipped over his head.

"Much better." Terra smiled when Axel came back into view, "I didn't mean to intrude and tell you how to dress in your private space, but it doesn't seem appropriate for a mother to see her child's spouse in such a state."

"It's alright. I wouldn't want to make you feel uncomfortable."

"It's alright sweetie." Terra smiled at the redhead and her son, "So I know neither of you two knew this, but I've been craving to have a grandchild for a while now. And there's no go about it, but I'm not going to get any from you two." She couldn't help but giggle at how red both Axel and Roxas got, "And I'm worried that Sora and Ventus won't find a wife for quite some time. So your father and I talked it over and came to a decision. Axel, we are willing to lift our concubine rule for you if Roxas can use her as well. That way you both can give us grandchildren through her." The blond queen's smile dimmed as she took in the redheaded prince's expression.

"I'm sorry my queen but I must decline the offer." Axel's eyebrows were scrunched up in confusion, from his words or Terra's, he didn't know. His arms numbly hung at his sides as he tried to figure his own mind out.

Roxas went ridged. Did Axel really just reject getting Xion back, "But why? I thought you were upset Xion was taken away."

"Are you sure about this Axel?" The woman asked with a curious tilt of her head, "What about you Roxas?" She looked over at her son, "Wouldn't you want to have children of your own someday?" The young prince didn't know how to answer so he looked away from his mother.

"Queen Terra, I appreciate the offer and how hard it must have been to even come to us with this, but Roxas and I have just gotten married. We are still getting to know one another and I would like to continue getting to know him before we think about our future. It wouldn't be right to bring children into our personal mess right now."

"That's understandable." Terra gracefully rose from her seat, "Just remember that the offer stands. Just tell me or Ansem when either of you are ready so we can discuss the details with Xehanort." The queen excused herself and left the room.

The two males stayed silent for a long moment. Then Roxas broke it, "You're hiding something."

Axel swallowed and gave the blond a blank look, "I don't know what you're talking about." He hoped his voice came out steady. Because his nerves were on fire.

"You should have jumped at the chance to have Xion back. Hell you had the perfect opportunity to claim her as yours and have her bare your children." Roxas sounded skeptical. His arms were defensively crossed over his chest, "What's your game?"

"What? I just don't want to force her into having our kids. She's better off waiting on Kairi."

Roxas raised an eyebrow at that. He still wasn't convinced, "It doesn't have to be Xion. If you explain that then you can probably get yourself another whore. I don't think my mother would care who the girl is, just as long as she can get herself a grandchild."

Axel caught Roxas's eye. The two stared at each other for a long breathe before the redhead spoke, "But what if I don't want anyone else?"

A shivered ran down Roxas spine at the words. The way Axel was looking at him made the blond uneasy, "You mean Xion right?"

Axel bit his lip and looked away from the young prince and out of the open glass door. What had he been thinking? Why did he say that? "Yeah." He didn't know what the pull in his chest was. But it made him feel sick to his stomach, "Your injury was looking a lot better when I checked it this morning. I can talk to Olette and we can see about getting the stitches taken out in the next day or so. Then you can at least do some light training."

Roxas let some tension leave his shoulders at the much welcomed change of subject, "That's good. They're starting to get itchy." He absentmindedly scratched at his shirt like the mere thought of the lingering itch made it appear.

"Don't do that." Axel grabbed the offending hand. The older prince could feel his heart start to speed up at the contact. He let go maybe a little too violently and let his arms drop to his sides, "You could pull one and still get an infection. Want me to take off the gauze so it can air out a bit?"

"I can do it. You find Olette so she can have a look." Roxas sounded excited to have the annoying stitches removed. He had been careful so he wouldn't pull one again and the lack of stretching had been annoying. But he wasn't looking forward to the training at all. He knew that Axel would make light work hard.

Axel agreed and left to go find the nurse, leaving Roxas alone with his thoughts. The blond stripped his shirt off and started to unravel the old gauze off of his torso. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair to get his bangs out of his eyes.

Terra had startled him with the request. Could he really go through and sleep with a woman just for her to have his children? Roxas thought back to Xion and he didn't feel any attraction. She was pretty, but the prince just didn't find himself attracted to her. He had never really been attracted to women to begin with though. Not like he would say something like that out loud with Axel around.

Roxas groaned and sat on the bed, face hidden in his hand. He didn't want to admit it but when he had Axel pinned under him he felt a little excited and hot. The redhead was built, he knew that much, but he had never had to opportunity to touch the muscles before. He almost wished he could have felt them a little longer before he lost his nerve.

Groaning Roxas shook the thoughts out of his head. He was not attracted to Axel. There was no way in hell he was attracted to his rapist. Hell he had just had a meltdown not too long ago just from the man grabbing his arm. That just proved he was in no shape way or form attracted to the redhead.

But Axel was forced to do it. A small voice in the back of Roxas's head reminded him. And he had apologized numerous times for it too. Axel was just as much of a victim as he was. Roxas took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He needed to calm down. Too much was going on in his head at once. First thing first, he had to get used to the man touching him without freaking out.

The door slowly creaked open and Axel came back in with Olette close behind him holding her first aid kit. What Roxas wasn't expecting was Hayner bringing up the rear and closing the door.

"He was hanging around and insisted on tagging along when he heard what was going on." Axel explained at Roxas's confused look.

"And I still don't think he should be here." Olette quipped as she placed her kit next to Roxas before turning her attention back to the dirty blond, "But if you insist on staying here Hayner, can you fetch me some hot water and clean, dry towels?"

"Sure." The servant left into the bathroom to fetch what was needed.

Olette pinned her hair back as she studied the stitches, "The wound does looked closed enough. And the itch means you're about healed. I think Axel was right, we can take them out." She rummaged through her pack and found the tools she would need, "Okay Roxas I'll need you to lay back down. This is going to hurt a bit, but remember to not tense up."

The prince did as he was told, taking a couple of quick breathes as his mind started to imagine the pain. He felt fabric brush up against him. Axel had taken a seat on the blond's left while the nurse was perched on his right. Axel's lips turned up as he looked at the blond's pre-pain expression, "If you do that then it's just going to hurt more. You have to relax." Olette nodded in agreement.

Roxas took the man's advice, deeply inhaling and exhaling slowly, feeling his muscles relax. He jumped when the cold metal of a sharp tool touched his skin. He sucked in a harsh breathe when the first stitch was cut open.

Roxas blindly reached out as Olette went for the second. He grasped onto something warm and strong. Roxas managed to crack an eye open and saw he had grabbed Axel's hand. He was about to pull away, but then another twinge of pain ripped just over his hip. Roxas gasped as his grip on Axel tightened. But the redhead still didn't say anything. Instead he gave the smaller hand a light squeeze, silently telling the blond that he was there and not going anywhere.

Hayner soon returned with Olette's requested items. The dirty blond glared at the clasped hands and walked up so he was leaning over the bed next to Axel. He was about to reach out and take Roxas's hand out of Axel's, when the nurse pulled another stitch free. The young prince gasped in pain and squeezed the larger hand. Hayner was surprised when he saw Axel squeeze back, rubbing a thumb over the smaller hand in small circles, almost like that simple massage would take away all of Roxas's tension.

But what surprised him the most was what Axel was quietly whispering into Roxas's ear, "You're almost done. You can do it."

Hayner couldn't help but groan out, "Dude he's just getting his stitches taken out, not giving birth. Chill."

Green and blue broke away from one another and both looked into brown. One set annoyed and the other scrunched up in pain, "Silence." Axel all but growled, "It may not hurt too much getting them taken out, but it is still a big wound so it's going to get irritated and sore."

Olette took a moment to look up from what she was doing and gave the young servant her own glare, "If you can't be any help then I suggest you leave Hayner. We don't need any extra bodies in the room."

"What? I didn't do anything?"

Roxas bit his lip to hold back a scream when Axel's grip on his hand got a little too tight for comfort. He could feel the man's anger rising, and it was directed towards his best friend, "Hayner, can you please go? I'll come find you in a bit. Okay?" Roxas held Hayner's eye, silently trying to get the dirty blond to understand that he couldn't anger Axel too badly or their deal was off and Hayner wouldn't be going to Ignis with him.

The servant sighed in defeat, "Fine I'll be outside." He walked away and out the room.

Olette made quick work of the rest of the stitches. It only took ten minutes to get them all out. Roxas seemed to get more and more antsy and agitated towards the end. He was withering and whimpering under Olette and his grip on Axel's hand was getting tighter.

"Okay last one." The nurse announced. She pulled the thread out and smiled down at her work. The stitches had done their work and pulled the skin tight. Roxas would still have a long scar by the time it fully healed, but it wouldn't be as wide or jagged. The brunette grabbed the basin of warm water and a towel that Hayner had brought out for her. Dried blood was gently patted off the blond's chest before it was dried with another towel, "Good as new. Now I know Hayner wants to see you, but I strongly suggest you rest for the rest of the night. Axel can stay to tend to whatever need you may have and he can go fetch your dinner as well." With that said the woman went into the bathroom to clean up the small mess that was made.

"I want to see Hayner." Roxas sat up with a grimace and pouted at the bedroom door, knowing his best friend wasn't too far away.

Axel slid off the bed and looked Roxas over. He could see the boy was both mentally and physically drained. Olette was right, he needed his rest, "I don't think that's a good idea. But I can arrange for him to help out in your training tomorrow so you can spend some time with him."

"Yeah?" Roxas somehow managed to sound both disappointed and hopeful at the same time.

"Yeah." Axel and Roxas said their goodbyes to Olette as she left the room, leaving them alone. Neither one knew what to do for the remainder of the night. Once alone Axel let his mood drop as his face twisted in pain and he rubbed his abused hand, "Well Roxas you wanted to hurt me and you did it." He joked, but when he looked at the blond he noticed him flinch and frown. The older prince sighed, "It was a joke. Lighten up. You should be happy. You're almost healed."

That seemed to make Roxas frown even harder, "That means we have to leave soon…" There was something in the prince's voice that was so pathetic it made Axel feel sorry for him. The redhead went to say something to comfort the boy however Roxas decided to change the subject, "So what else did you do in town today? You were gone too long to just be talking to the citizens."

Axel rubbed the back of his head, trying to think of what to say. Maybe the truth would be good. Lying would only put a bigger rift between them, "I went to the temple." Roxas seemed to be caught off guard. His blue eyes widened and his mouth hung open with questions that wouldn't come out, yet Axel knew what Roxas was going to ask, "Your priestess is…quirky." He decided to say. Maybe calling her weird would be disrespectful.

"Who? Vanille? Yeah she's an odd one. But she's who Carbuncle chose so who are we to judge." The blond gave a small laugh and shrugged.

"I wanted to ask her about our marriage." He gestured between them, "I was curious about how your deity saw this and how damned you were."

Roxas tilted his head in slight confusion, "Damned? Not at all. I mean Carbuncle is all about love and acceptance. Our marriage may not have been for love, but I'd like to think it fits into the acceptance category."

"Yeah." Axel breathed out. If their marriage wasn't based on love then what was this feeling in his chest and the jittery nerves that he got whenever he looked into those dark blue eyes? "She said that I wouldn't be damned, even though I follow Ifrit, and that nothing bad would happen from us being together." The redhead didn't notice the blush that spread across his face.

But it didn't go unnoticed by Roxas, "Axel, you just mean our marriage right?" He fidgeted a bit in his spot, not liking how Axel went quiet and wouldn't look at him, "Axel?" He called out, grabbing those green eyes.

"I…I…" Axel bit his lip. He couldn't take this anymore. He couldn't keep holding in these secrets and hiding behind his religion like this, "I think I'm starting to fall for you."

Time seemed to stop for Roxas. His eyes widened and his blood ran cold, "W-what? But how is that…how is that possible?" The blond heard his voice crack, "You hate me."

Axel looked down, ashamed, "I think that was me hiding behind my religion. I was afraid. I've been told my whole life that being with another man was wrong. I feel bad for everything that I did; you didn't deserve any of that, and you have every right to hate me.

"Or was it because of your dreams?" Roxas was still tense. His hands balled into fists, almost like he was ready to defend himself if Axel got any closer. The redhead's breathe caught in his throat, "I woke up early during the nap yesterday. You were moaning my name and got a-" His eyes briefly looked down near Axel's crotch, "How do I know you have real feelings for me and it's just not lust?" What was he saying? Roxas knew the answer. There was no way the redhead liked him. He probably missed Xion.

Axel blushed even harder, "I'm sorry. I wish that didn't happen. But if it makes you uncomfortable then I can talk to your father about getting me a different room so you can have your space back and not have to sleep with Ven any longer." The prince shifted his weight onto one foot, his eyes still on the ground, too ashamed to look at the blond, "If you think it's just lust then I promise I won't touch you again without your consent. I won't do anything that makes you uncomfortable." When Roxas never replied Axel felt his stomach drop. He messed up, "I'm not expecting you to return my feelings. I wouldn't be surprised if it never happens. I probably shouldn't have said anything. I'm sorry. I'll go get your dinner now so you can relax." The redhead didn't show how much this affected him. With all the pride and grace of the prince he was, Axel quickly exited the room.

Blue eyes watched the man's back the whole way. Roxas wouldn't even take his eyes off the door once it closed. His mouth pressed into a thin line. His mind raced with thoughts as he tried to process what just happened. It had to be a dream. A very bad dream. He probably passed out while Olette was taking out his stitches. Axel didn't say anything about how he felt. It was just a dream, right?

With a groan Roxas fell back into his sheets. His nose scrunched up when he noticed Axel's scent covered his sheets. Great he couldn't even get away from the redhead even when he was alone in his room. The blond blankly stared at the bedroom door, wondering what was going to happen to them now.


	13. The Hunting Trip

The sun beat down on the Lamina princes as they practiced their swings. Sora and Ventus used real swords with sharp steel edges, while Roxas was left with flinging around a wood dummy sword. He felt ridiculous. He hated how even the light weapon strained his arm and tired him. He hated how Axel acted like he had to tiptoe around him over the last couple of days. Roxas growled in frustration and tossed his swards across the training area, raising questioning looks from his brothers and Axel.

"Is everything okay Roxas?" The redhead asked. He was leaning against a fence that enclosed the large area. His loose poster made him look relaxed, but his eyes were fixed on the princes' every move.

"I'm tired and this is so fucking stupid." His eyes trained on his discarded sword. He couldn't bring himself to look at the man, "I don't want to do this anymore. I don't see the point in any of this if I can't even use a proper weapon."

Sora glared at his younger brother, "You make it sound like you have it hard. Try doing this all day every day. At least Axel's going easy on you." He looked over to the redhead, "Can we have another short day? You know to break Roxas in and everything?" He gave his best puppy dog eyes to the prince.

"'Fraid not." Axel didn't sound apologetic at all, "But Roxas if you're tired you can rest for a few minutes. Sora and Ven can spar."

"What?" Ven gasped, sweat dripping down his forehead, "That's so unfair. You never went easy on us."

"Because you're not injured." Axel countered.

"Sure, that's the reason." Ventus scoffed.

Axel raised a brow at that, "Wanna run that by me again?"

The blond gulped and took a step back, "N-no I'm good." Axel stared down Ventus for another minute to reinforce that the boy wouldn't back talk him during training again. All three of the princes' needed to learn to respect anyone and everyone who held a higher rank than them. That came to light at the dinner they shared when Axel first arrived at the castle.

"That's what I thought." Green eyes scanned back to Roxas, who made his way to under a tree. The blond was lightly panting and had a canteen of water in one hand. Axel felt bad for the small boy. He was still hurting from the injury, but he had to get stronger.

Sora and Ventus started their spar. Axel couldn't help the smile. It seemed the extra work was paying off for the brunet. Sora had Ventus blocking and parrying his attacks, but the blond never had the time or space to counter attack. Venus had to be quick on his feet to make sure he couldn't be cornered, but his footwork was sloppy and he ended up tripping and falling onto his rump.

The sound of Roxas laughing could be heard in the distance. Ventus groaned when he felt the dip of Sora's dull blade against his chest, "I win!" The prince cheered. He looked away from his target and over to Axel, "Look I did it! I finally beat Ve-AHH!" The brunet's legs were swept out from under him, causing him to fell over and onto his back and lose his sword. Ventus didn't hesitate as he scooped up his brother's lost sword and sat on Sora's hips, successfully pinning his lower body down. The two swords crossed over Sora's neck in an X to keep the prince in place.

"I win."

"Remember to never take your eyes off of your target Sora." Axel reminded the fallen brunet.

Sora just pouted and let his head fall back into the dirt, "I give up. I'm done. I'll never be good at this. Father should just give me a different punishment." He went to push Ventus off of him, but the blond dug his knees into his sides. Sora hissed from the discomfort but stopped trying to move his younger brother.

"Are you kidding me?" Ventus all but yelled, "You've gotten so good! You almost beat me. So you slipped up. Who cares? You got this Sora." He got off of his brother and extended a hand to help him up, "Come on, no quitting."

Sora accepted the help up and gave Ventus a goofy smile, "Yeah? Sorry for the small meltdown."

"Every good soldier has a meltdown at least once." Axel walked up to the brothers and placed a hand on his hip, "It shows they care about their progress and want to get better. That's a good trait to have. You have the makings of a great soldier and king."

Sora smiled at the praise. It was the first time Axel had done that. Usually the redhead would hang around and correct the boys whenever they messed up, "Thank you." The brunet smiled towards the older prince.

The rest of the hour was spent with Axel showing all three boys different ways to attack an opponent and how to also counter those attacks. Sora and Ventus would try the new moves on each other while Roxas awkwardly stood next to Axel.

Roxas fidgeted from foot to foot while picking at his sword. This was the closest he had gotten to the redhead since his confession. True to his word, after Axel came back with Roxas's food he agreed to get his own room. Ansem wasn't too happy about the request, but reluctantly agreed to it.

"How tired are you?" Axel suddenly asked. The blond looked up at the man, but didn't say anything, "I want to see if you can do something. But it'll be harder if you're too tired or hurting anywhere."

Roxas just shrugged, "I feel alright. That break really helped."

"Good." Axel smiled then walked towards the armory. Roxas briefly wondered what the man was doing, but another part of him was just happy that Axel was walking away from him. Roxas's relief was short lived though. It didn't take Axel long to come back to the area with a second wooden sword.

"Ummm…" The blond accepted the sword with a confused look, "I think the heat might be affecting you or something, because I already have one of these." He pointed to his discarded weapon with his head.

"I know but I noticed a trend with your brothers and want to see if the same applies with you. Now grab your other sword." Roxas did as he was told and swayed a bit as he tried to find his center. Axel unsheathed the sword that was hanging from his hip and aimed it at the blond, "I'm not going to seriously attack you, but just block for me okay?"

Roxas nodded. His hands clenching onto the slick wood. When Axel suddenly attacked from above aiming right for Roxas's head the blond yelped and raised his swords into an X above him. He starred up, wide eyed as the metal was stopped by wood. With a sweep of his left arm Roxas managed to knock the offending sword of him and back towards Axel.

"What the hell? You said you weren't going to attack me!" Roxas panted out, his eyes wide with shock and surprise.

The redhead looked just as surprised, "Do that again but don't use your right hand at all."

"What? No! You'll chop my head off!"

Axel rolled his eyes, "Can't you just trust me here? It's part of your training."

Roxas narrowed his eyes but didn't argue any farther. He threw down one of his weapons and readied himself. Axel went swinging for his open right side. Roxas tried to block with a backhand, but lost his balance and started to fall forward. Blue eyes clenched shut getting ready for the impact that never came. Axel grabbed the blond by the shoulder to help steady him.

Roxas was quick to push away and glare at the man, "What happened to not touching me without permission?" He growled out.

"I'm sorry. I guess I should have let you fall on your face." Axel's voice dripped with sarcasm. He rolled his eyes and sighed, not in the mood for a fight, "It looks like you're primarily right-handed but have promise to be ambidextrous. I want you to finish up today with your left hand and learn how to properly balance. Got it?"

"Yes, Sir." The blond didn't stick around after that and went back to his brothers to finish up his training. With his back turned, Axel missed the light blush that spread across the blond's face.

~X~x~X~x~

Roxas sighed as he stretched out on his bed. It had been a long time since he worked his body that hard so he decided he earned a well-deserved nap. But a sudden knock at his door prevented him from reaching sleep. With a groan the prince got up and opened the door, "What do you want?" He blandly asked glaring up at Axel.

"I just wanted to see if you were okay and that I didn't work you too hard." The man said with a little edge in his voice from being caught off guard by Roxas's unneeded hostility.

"Why? You never checked on my brothers before. Is this because you love me now?" Roxas made no move to welcome the man into his room and left his body blocking the entrance.

"Are you serious? I don't love you Roxas. Far from it. I just figured out that I have some feelings for you. Also I'm still under orders to act as your care giver. Of course I'm going to come check on you and not them. If you strained yourself too much I'll be the one in trouble." He crossed his arms over his chest, "Now how do you feel?"

"Tired. My arms are a bit sore, but it's nothing too bad. Can I go to sleep now, or do you need to come in and make sure I won't hurt myself in my sleep."

"Is that an invitation?" Axel teased.

Roxas blushed and glared at the taller man, "You'd like that wouldn't you?"

Axel just shrugged at that, "Can't say that I don't miss sharing a bed. I haven't really been able to sleep in my new room." The older price admitted, "But I can see why that would make you uncomfortable so I'll deal with it."

Great, now the blond felt guilty, "I mean," He rubbed the back of his head and looked back to his large bed, "It's big enough to share." What was he saying? "And you've done a pretty good job at keeping your hands to yourself."

That seemed to catch Axel off guard as well, "Well, I'm not tired right now, but maybe tonight if you don't mind?" He rubbed his arm. When did he become so awkward?

"Maybe. Let's see if I'm in a better mood." Roxas closed the door in Axel's face and went back to his bed. With the grace of a drunken bastard, the blond fell into his bed with a sigh. He was both physically and mentally drained all because of Axel.

Was the man being sincere about his feelings or was he just messing with Roxas? The blond rolled onto his stomach and pulled a pillow close to his face. The scent of ash and tea smothered the blond. His shoulders dropped at the realization that he had grabbed Axel's pillow. But at the moment the small blond was too tired to care.

~X~x~X~x~

"A hunting trip?" A gruff blond man asked. He was lugging heavy equipment around the training area, his large muscles straining under the weight, "My prince it's a little late in the day for that don't you think?"

Axel frowned. He needed to get out of the palace grounds for a bit. He needed time to get away and just think about things. A hunting trip would be a good excuse to stay away for a day or two. He just needed a reason to round up a party, "General Basch, I think it would be a good opportunity for Sora in his training. He'll have to shoot arrows at moving targets, tracking, not to mention if we leave late he'll have to learn how to set up camp."

"Yes I get that, but couldn't we plan something for a later time? It'll already be late in the afternoon by the time we get things set up and get a party." Basch tried to explain. He put the equipment down so he could properly speak to the prince, "We can schedule something in a couple of days."

"They got to be ready for anything that comes up at any time. I think it'll be good for them."

"I'm sorry Prince Axel but-"

"General Axel." The redhead corrected, "I'm a general in the Ignis army. And King Ansem asked me to train his sons like we do in my kingdom. I can get a score of men together and enough provisions for the next day within an hour. I was going to take Sora and Ventus with me. I only asked you as a formality since you're supposed to be training Sora as well."

"Well I'm sorry General Axel," Basch said the name with a sneer, "But we are not in Ignis at the moment and I am in charge of the keeping he royals safe. All I'm asking for is a few days to make sure nothing will go wrong."

Axel glared at the older man, hoping to intimidate him, "And all I'm saying is that the whole point of this trip is for something to go wrong so Sora and Ventus know how to survive when something unexpected things come up. If they can't learn how to survive in the wilderness of their own kingdom, how do you expect them to survive whenever they leave? What if they get ambushed while traveling to another kingdom? They need to learn this and it will never happen with you babying them like this." With that the redhead left the shocked blond to get preparations going. He had already spoken to the King and Queen prior and got their consent. All that was left to do was to get everything ready and make sure Sora and Ventus were ready to go.

~X~x~X~x~

The sun was starting to hang low in the sky. Basch was wrong with his assumptions of Axel's skills. The redhead had managed to gather everything and get everyone and their horses ready within two hours. But after tracking through the thick wood for quite some time, there seemed to be no sign of any wildlife. Not that that bothered Axel any.

"This is stupid. I want to go home and eat dinner." Ventus groaned from his horse that flanked Axel's left side. The princes were leading the hunt while the small party of guards hung in the back. General Basch decided to sit the small trip out, "If we turn back now we can get there in time. And why didn't Roxas have to come? I thought he was training now too and isn't that what this is?"

Axel was starting to regret this trip. He should have come alone. Now he had two whining princes to look after, "The whole point of this trip was to prepare you for anything spontaneous that will come up. When I was training I was woken up at two in the morning in the middle of winter and thrown into the woods. Be grateful I didn't do that. You also need to learn how to set up a camp, so we're killing two birds with one stone. As for Roxas, he isn't healed enough for this. His injury still needs to be kept clean."

"You're just going soft on him." Sora scoffed from Axel's right.

Zephyr whined as heels were dug into his sides, urging the horse to speed up. Axel pulled the horse so he was blocking Sora's path, "I don't play favorites kid. I just know not to push an injury or else it'll make it worse." His green eye borrowing into scared blue, "Or would you rather your brother get an infection or strain himself in any way to make it harder for him to heal?"

Sora looked down ashamed, "No." But then quickly muttered, "And don't call me kid. I'm only a year younger than you."

"Did you just backtalk someone who's a higher rank than you?" Axel's voice was cold and his glare got even harsher, "You know what? You can only eat what you catch. You're not allowed any of the supplies we've brought." With that the redhead trotted ahead, ignoring the whispers of the soldiers. He needed space from everyone. Maybe he could go explore another part of the woods.

"Great." He heard Ventus whisper to Sora, "Now we have to deal with his mood. Do you think it has anything to do with Roxas?"

"I don't know. Maybe he just needs to get laid."

Axel felt his face heat up, "I can fucking hear you." He yelled. He turned around again and forced the small group to stop, "Maybe this wasn't a good idea. Maybe you two aren't ready or even responsible enough to handle a simple hunting trip. You all turn back. I'll go on my own from here." Not wanting to hang around any longer the man sped away, quickly disappearing into the greenery.

He had gone a good few miles before he slowed down Zephyr to a trot. One hand let go of the reins and started to itch towards his bow which was hanging off of one of the horse's sides. Eager to shoot something. He needed to take his frustrations out on something and taking down a deer or bear sounded like the best cure right now.

Zephyr gave out a low whine and took a couple of steps back, "What's wrong boy?" He scanned the area but saw nothing, "Come on." He dug his heels into the horse's side to urge him on. But the horse wouldn't budge, "Zephyr. Move." Axel kicked his horse a bit too hard. The beast reared up in its hind legs with a loud shriek and gave a hard buck, throwing Axel off.

The redhead was caught off guard. He flew through the air with a yell, falling on the ground with a hard thud. His head smacked a moss covered rock causing black spots to dance around Axel's vision. Just as he started to fall into unconsciousness, the man saw a snake slither away. Damn horse.

~X~x~X~x~

Roxas rushed down the halls when he heard of his brother's arrival. He found them in the large foyer, "Hey guys, you're back early." His eyes scanned the small crowd, "What happened to Axel? Is he in the stables or something?"

Ventus frowned and approached his brother, "Sora pissed him off and he sent us back home. He should be back tomorrow."

"Oh." Roxas looked a little disappointed. But that didn't last too long as he looked to Sora with an amused smile, "So what did you do to make him this mad? Were you breathing too hard or something? Or did you babble on and on about nothing on end?"

Sora pouted, "Hey I'm not the only culprit here. Ven wouldn't stop complaining."

"Yeah, but at least I stopped when he said to and didn't question his authority." The blond countered, "But I gotta say I'm happy to be able to sleep in my own bed tonight and not on a pile of sticks and leaves."

Roxas rolled his eyes, "Wow you guys are a bunch of babies."

"That's easy for you to say. Axel's practically pampering you." Sora defended. Anyone could see the brunet was done with all of this training and taking orders from the redhead.

Roxas blushed at the accusation, "Please that's far from true. He tried to cut my head off this morning during training to test out my dexterity or something. That man's insane. If I wasn't injured he'd be pushing me just as hard as he does you, if not harder."

"Please that's bull. We all know he'd go easy either way 'cuz he's sweet on you." Sora blurted out. Once the words were out Sora seemed to notice his mistake and covered his mouth, "Shit you weren't supposed to know."

Roxas groaned and pinched his nose, "If we're going to talk about this can we go somewhere private?" He looked at the guards that lingered around the room. The men pointedly looked away, knowing their prince was talking about them.

The three bothers quickly relocated to Ventus's room.

"So you know?" Ventus asked once the door was secured. He took to leaning against a wall while Sora and Roxas stole his bed.

The youngest prince frowned, "Yeah. He said he was starting to develop feelings for me the other day. Whatever that means."

"Well if it makes you feel any better he never said anything to us. We kinda figured it out." Ventus supplied, "Axel was just as much in the dark as you were."

Roxas groaned and tried to hide in the many pillows that were at the head of the bed, "That doesn't help. How did you figure it out?"

"Well," Sora started, "He can get pretty protective of you. But that only happens when you're not in the immediate area."

"And he was jealous because he thought something was going on between you and Hayner." The older twin said.

By this point Roxas's face was so red that his brothers were worried it would explode, "That doesn't really help." His voice was small and weak, "He's not allowed to develop any kind of feeling for me."

"Why not?" Ventus asked, "You two are going to be stuck to each other for a long time. Why can't you start a relationship? And before you bring it up, you said that you were working on getting over the rape and even acknowledge that he was forced to do it and regrets it."

"Well, because," Roxas bit his lip as he tried to think of a reason, "Because I don't feel the same as him. He's a self-centered asshole. Maybe if he was nicer towards me at any point in this faux marriage I would be able to trust his word, but at his point I think what he's saying is a joke or as a way for me to admit that I'm gay so he can get even nastier towards me." Roxas sat up and held a pillow to his chest, "I mean it is in his culture to banish and even execute anyone who is attracted to the same sex. Returning his 'feelings'", the blond made air quotes around the word, "would just be adding fuel into his fire."

"Okay, but, just here me out." Sora pulled his legs up on the bed and crossed them in front his body, "If he's confessing to you first, even if it is just a big elaborate joke then wouldn't he be fucking himself over? I mean he basically said he's gay for you. Not to mention he's married to another guy. Hell you saw what they did to him when we were leaving Ignis. Now if he does show feelings wouldn't that just make things worse for him?"

"I guess that's true." Roxas said in a low voice. Not really wanting to admit what his brother said made sense, "But why would he want to do that to himself? That's just stupid."

Ventus smiled down at his twin, "Because he's stupid. And maybe if you be a little stupid too you guys can change how things are done over in Ignis. King Xehanort hopefully thought this marriage through before agreeing to it. He wouldn't put one of his son's in danger. And if anything bad happened to you that would just start another war."

The boys lapsed into silence. Roxas had fallen onto his side, pillow still clutched to his chest. His mind rushing with thoughts about Axel and how he was supposed to handle everything now. Both Sora and Ventus looked down at their baby brother with pity. Neither one knowing what to say next. The awkward silence was interrupted by a sudden commotion.

The sound of yelling and people running all around filled the bedroom. Curious, Sora stood up, he was about to open the door but before he could reach the doorknob it flung open and just missed hitting the prince by an inch. A stern looking Ansem marched into the room. His eyes swept across his three sons. His mouth was pressed in a thin line and his worried look put the princes on edge.

"What is it Father?" Sora finally said, breaking Ansem out of his troubled looking thoughts.

"Axel's beast has returned, but the prince is nowhere to be seen." Ansem said in a deadpanned voice, "And I want to know why you two and all of the soldiers that went with you are here."

Roxas felt all the air leave his body and his brain freeze. Axel was missing? Yes the blond wanted some space from the man, but not this. He found himself surprised at how lonely he felt earlier in the day when he found out that the redhead wouldn't be sleeping in his room that night. What would he do if the redhead wasn't found?

Both Sora and Ventus flinched at the tone. Not wanting to answer the question, neither spoke. It wasn't until Ventus saw his twin's torn and confused expression that his conscience got to him, "Sora and I were caught off guard by the trip, and neither of us handled it accordingly." He admitted, "Some things were said and Axel got irritated and asked us to come back so he could finish in peace. Neither of us thought it would be a good idea to follow him and anger him anymore."

That didn't seem to sit well with the king, "So you just left? You didn't even have any of the soldiers keep post or at least follow him from a safe distance. You should know how to command your men and be smart enough to know that the woods can hold dangers that you can't even imagine. I thought I had raised you to be smarter than that." The man's voice was almost venomous. If anything bad had happened to the redhead and the prince would, god forbid, die it could be seen as an attack towards Ignis and start up yet another war.

"Are you sending men out to find him?" Roxas said in a somewhat small voice. His blue eyes were hazed over with worry. The pillow in his arms was being clutched to like it was a lifeline.

"Yes. We have a fleet combing through the forest right now. They should find him before day break." Ansem said in a reassuring voice.

That didn't settle the clenching feeling that had set in at the bottom of Roxas's stomach, "That's too long. What if he's badly hurt? By tomorrow it might be too late. I want to go and search too." It would at least give him something to do besides walking around the castle worrying.

But Ansem just shook his head, "A prince, no an injured prince at that, has no place in a search party. I would send your brothers if I wasn't so sure they'd mess up doing that. Just leave the guards do their job.

Roxas grit his teeth. Why was everyone treating him like some feeble newborn because of some stupid cut? He could handle himself out in the woods. He didn't need Axel to baby over him every second of every day. This wasn't fair! "I can go out looking and handle myself. If worse comes to worse there'll be soldiers around to help me. Please let me go look."

Everyone one in the room were taken aback by Roxas's words. Never in the long month he had been married to Axel did anyone think the blond would get so worked up over the man. Not in a way like this at least.

"Roxas you know I can't do that?" Ansem said.

Roxas stood up and threw his pillow on the bed, "Why? You already got me training. Why can't I ride a horse while being escorted through the woods to look for my-" His words caught in his throat, "My husband." He finally croaked out. The word didn't feel right in the teen's mouth, but it was true none the less. Roxas didn't like Axel by any means, but he was still married to the man and he was worried about his wellbeing.

Ansem seemed tired. He was already mad as hell at his two eldest sons, he didn't want to fight his youngest child as well, "Please Roxas, we're already out there looking for one person, we don't need someone else out there to take away from the soldiers attention. You wouldn't even know how to track. And what if Axel's hurt? You don't know first aid and would most likely get in the way." The king knew his words were harsh, but it needed to be said. He knew once Axel was retrieved the blond would calm down and forgive his father.

Roxas bristled at those words. He wouldn't get in the way, "I don't need this right now. It's stupid that you won't let me do anything to help! I don't want to be anywhere near you right now." The blond growled. He pushed passed his father and ignored Ventus's calls for him to come back. He didn't want to deal with anyone right now.

~X~x~X~x~

The moon was high in the sky and everyone in the castle were sound asleep. Everyone but an anxious blond. None of the soldiers had come back yet and Roxas was too worried to sleep. He didn't leave his room for dinner and refused the maid that brought him his plate. He kept his door locked and somehow managed to push a large chest in front of the mirror so no one could get through the passage.

The blond paced outside on his balcony. It was the perfect spot for him to watch the forest for any signs of the guards or Axel. Roxas's lips were raw from him biting them. He couldn't figure out why he was so worried. He wanted Axel gone since the moment he said "I do" so why did he want the redhead back so badly now? The feelings weren't anything romantic, he could tell that much. But maybe, he didn't hate Axel as much as he thought he did.

He needed out. All of this unknown was driving Roxas crazy.

Blue eyes scanned everywhere until they noticed something shine in the moonlight. A thick rope of ivy climbed perfectly from the ground and up the side of the castle, passing right by the balcony. He could do it. He could climb down and go off on his own. He didn't need anyone to help him.

Roxas looked back into his room. Or he could go to sleep and pray that Axel was found and safe. Blond spikes shook. No he had to do this. Taking a deep breath Roxas hiked one leg over the ledge and pulled himself up and over. The mantra 'don't look down' played repeatedly in Roxas's head as he grabbed onto the strong plant and started to climb down. He could feel his injury stretch and pull while he worked his body down the vine. His room was only on the second story of the castle, it wouldn't be that far of a climb down. Keeping his breathing calming and deep, his eyes looked up so he wouldn't see the drop down.

When his feet finally touched the ground, the blond took off towards the stables, sticking towards the shadows so no one would see him. He quickly slipped into the large space. Roxas needed a horse if he wanted to get anywhere. Most of the horses were already being used to find Axel, leaving only the few that were too old or too young. Roxas frowned at his choices.

Then he heard a neighing come from the back of the stables. The horse sounded like it was going crazy and trying to kick its door open. Curiously, Roxas went to check it out. A white horse was jumping all over its confined space. Whipping its head back and forth the horse voiced how displeased it was.

"Zephyr?" Roxas whispered. The horse stopped its rampage just long enough to look at Roxas, "Zephyr come here." The beast trotted up to the door and stuck it's large nose through the hole in the door, "Do you know where Axel is?"

At the sound of its master's name the horse reared and whined again. Roxas suddenly had an idea. He grabbed a spare saddle and reigns, slipped inside the stall and readied the horse. It took longer than what Roxas would have liked though, poor Zephyr was just as antsy as the blond was feeling. But he managed.

Grabbing a lit lantern off of the wall Roxas mounted his steed and took off. Zephyr wanted to take off the moment he was free from the stables, but the prince somehow managed to control he wild beast just enough before reaching the palace gates.

The two guards on duty gave the prince an odd look as he approached. He halted the horse right in front of the gate, glaring at the soldiers, "King Ansem is worried about the lack of updates on Prince Axel's whereabouts. He asked me to go out and figure out what's going on." The soldiers looked at one another, confusion written across both faces. Roxas let out an annoyed huff, "Don't you recognize your own prince when you see him?"

"I…well of course." One spoke up, "But we are under strict orders to not let Prince Roxas out of the palace grounds. We should send word to the castle to make sure the king sent you."

"I am Prince Ventus." Roxas snapped, "You'd do best to learn to tell me and my brother apart. It's not that hard. Prince Roxas is up in his room worrying himself sick over his husband." He pointed towards his window where the soft glow of light shown, "This is time sensitive. Prince Axel, the visiting prince of Ignis, Prince Roxas's husband, and my brother-in-law, is out there and probably hurt. Do you really want to get not only mine, but the whole kingdom of Ignis' wrath upon your heads because you are making me wait? If it worries you that much then send one solider with me."

"Prince Ventus, please, we are only doing our job."

"Are you really? Because to me it seems you aren't doing it well enough since a member of the royal family has gone missing."

"You're highness-"

"No!" Roxas's yell startled Zephyr who bucked at the sudden noise, but was easily hushed, "I will hear no excuse. I am tired and damned well near pissed. I will deal with my father, the King, after Prince Axel has been found and safe in my brother's bed. Is that clear?"

"Sir!" The guards saluted before getting to work to open the gates to let the prince out. Once the opening was big enough Zephyr bolted.

Cold night air whipped across the teen's face as he ran the white horse into the woods. He held his light high above his head so the horse could see its way. Zephyr ran at a quick pace, jumping over fallen logs and trampling over the rough terrain. Nothing slowed down the horse as it tried to find its master. Roxas had to wrap the reigns around his free arm numerous times then hold onto the horse's main just to insure he wouldn't fall off.

Roxas didn't see much of the search party, just some lights out in the distance. The blond didn't try to control the horse's direction, fulling trusting himself to where ever the beast would take him. Zephyr seemed to go for ages and miles, Roxas had to lean close into the horse's back to protect his face from stray twigs and branches. The wind was starting to irritate the teen's face as well. Roxas was starting to doubt himself about the horse knowing where Axel was. It seemed like the horse was just going to get them lost as well.

Right when Roxas was starting to regret this, Zephyr stopped, almost throwing the blond from his back. The young Prince sat up, held up the lantern, and looked around the immediate area. Nothing but trees and bushes. Roxas frowned and climbed off of the horse's back and walked around the area.

Zephyr snorted and hooved at a large bush. Roxas tried to ignore it as he conducted his own search, but the horse was persistent. With an annoyed grunt the blond went to go check out what was wrong. Pushing leaves and branches out of the way blue eyes widened at what he saw.

Axel was laying there unconscious. Hidden completely in the bushes and overgrown grass. No wonder the soldiers couldn't find him. They were probably riding on their horses the whole time, not putting in the effort to check the hard to see areas.

Kneeling next to the man, Roxas went to brush hair out of Axel's face, only to feel something wet. Gasping in surprise he pulled his hand back and into the lantern's light. Glistening red covered his fingers. Roxas felt his breath catch. He picked up his light and brought it closer to Axel's head. A large rock was next to Axel, also covered in blood. The man's face was pale as his skin was slightly cold.

Roxas felt his mind go blank. Without really thinking, he quickly placed his hand over Axel's chest and rubbed everywhere until he came across a heartbeat. The blond let out an uneven sigh and relaxed knowing that Axel wasn't dead yet. But he had to do something soon. Who knows how long he had been like this. Roxas bit his lip as he looked to Zephyr. He didn't know how he would get Axel on the horse, let alone ride back while balancing the unconscious man too. He'd need help.

"Help!" Roxas yelled at the top of his lungs, "Help someone!" He could feel tears prick at his eyes as he rubbed his thumb up and down the man's tattooed cheek. He kept yelling, hoping he wasn't too far away from the patrolling soldiers.

He didn't know how long he yelled for help. But his voice was growing weak as his tears chocked him up, "Please don't die." He quietly whispered to Axel. His tears running down his face and onto the redhead's. The tightness in his chest was unpleasant and he just wanted it to stop. He gave one last yell before seeing a small light approach him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I evil? I think I might be lol  
> Please leave a review :) It help keeps me motivated


	14. The Radical

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> NaNo is almost over and I only have 2k more words to write! But those words are going to be in the next chapter. I don't know when that one is going to be out, but I am going to try and update every Saturday. Thank you all for your favs, alerts, and reviews. They all helped me through this month.  
> Please review and tell me what you think! I love hearing from you guys

Roxas was wide awake as the sun rose from its slumber. But the blond refused to sleep. He wouldn't leave the infirmary or even relax until Axel woke up. A small group of guards had found Roxas holding onto Axel as he cried.

"Roxas." Ansem walked into the white room. His amber eyes and solemn face told the teen that he was in trouble, "You should have known better than to run off alone like that. And you lied to the guards as well.'

"But I found Axel. I did what your soldiers couldn't. I only did what I had to do to make sure Axel was safe." Roxas said. He looked over to the sleeping man and frowned at the bandages that wrapped around his wild spikes, "If it wasn't for me he would still be out there, possibly dead."

Ansem shook his head, "I don't care your reason or the result. You still disobeyed orders. I want you to go to your room until I can think of what to do with you and your brothers."

Roxas didn't budge. Instead he reached over and clamped onto one of Axel's cold hands. He frowned at the temperature. Usually Axel was at the very least, warm. The man always seemed to be running at a high temperature, "I want to stay here and make sure he wakes up." The blond said in a small voice. He didn't want to admit it, but he was scared. Relieved that Axel was safe inside the castle walls, but still terrified that he wouldn't wake up, "I have every right to stay."

Ansem looked torn. He knew his son needed discipline and to learn how to listen to orders, but then again he has never seen his son look at his consort like that, "We can come fetch you once he wakes. No one knows when that will happen. He lost too much blood. It might be a few days before his body can replace all of it." The king's voice had gotten softer as he talked. Almost like he was trying to reassure his son instead of punishing him like his intentions had been when he walked into the room.

"No, I should be here." His face scrunched up in confusion, "I want to be here."

Ansem sighed in defeat. He could always punish Roxas once Axel had woken up, "Did you at least let someone look your wounds over? You just got your stitches out, it would be a shame to have to put more in." Roxas just shrugged at that, "Roxas, it's important you keep up your health. I don't think Axel will be happy hearing that you've neglected yourself in his time of need."

Lines of worry creased across the prince's forehead, "You think?" For the first time since Ansem entered the room Roxas took his eyes off of the redhead and looked at him, "But he never seemed to care about my health before."

"You'd think that. But Axel has put a lot of work and care into making sure that your injury heals properly. It's a miracle you never showed signs of an infection considering how large and deep it was. But that's thanks to all of the effort he's put into you. Don't let that go to waste." Ansem couldn't help the small smile that pulled at his lips. Maybe there was hope for these two yet.

Roxas bit his bruised, chapped lip and gave Axel one more sideways glance, "It won't take too long?"

"Not at all."

Roxas nodded his head and released Axel's hand. Father and son left the room to find a nurse. It wasn't hard to find one and soon Roxas found himself sitting shirtless on an uncomfortable cot.

The nurse frowned as she poked at the wound with a cotton swab, smearing disinfectant all around, "It looks a bit irritated, but nothing too serious. I would recommend to take it easy and rest today and you should be fine." The woman gave her prince a sad look, "I'd also recommend going to bed and getting some sleep. Your body won't heal as fast if you stress yourself out like this."

Ansem placed a comforting hand on his son's arm. Roxas sighed and leaned into his father's touch. He was tired, but he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep until he knew Axel was in the clear, "I'll just worry even more if I'm away though."

"We can prepare a cot in Prince Axel's room." She looked to her king for permission. When he nodded the woman smiled, "It won't be as comfortable as your bed, but you can stay close and get some sleep."

Some obvious weight came off of Roxas's shoulders from the suggestion, "I think I can live with that." He smiled at the nurse, "Thank you."

The woman started cleaning up her supplies, "You're welcome my prince. I'm sorry we didn't do something about that sooner. You should probably change out of those dirty clothes and into some proper sleepwear. I can get a maid to fetch something for you."

"That would be much appreciated." Ansem said with a nod of approval. The nurse bowed to her king as the men left and went back to Axel's room.

"Mom?" Roxas blinked and rubbed at his tired eyes at the sight of his mother occupying his seat, "What are you doing here?"

The queen had Axel's hand in one of hers while the other tried to rub some warmth back into his arm. She didn't seem to bother changing out of her sleeping gown and had haphazardly thrown a robe over it to give her some decency, "I heard he was found and I needed to check on his condition." Terra frowned a bit, "How are you holding up sweetie?" She asked Roxas.

The blond looked down. How was he? "Tired." He admitted. Just reaffirming he was scared for Axel didn't seem something necessary to say. It was pretty obvious.

Almost like it was on cue two servants came into the room carrying a pull out cot and blankets. They quickly set up the prince's make shift bed and handed him a change of clothes. Roxas looked to his bed. It didn't look comfortable in the least bit, but he was so tempted to just face plant into it and sleep for a year. Yeah, that sounded nice.

"Why don't you shower and change. We'll stay here to keep an eye on Axel." Terra offered. Her voice was soft and sweet. Roxas couldn't say no to her.

The prince nodded and headed into the conjoined bathroom, happy that the privet rooms of the infirmary had their own. He turned the water onto its hottest setting and stripped off his pants and boxers while he waited for it to heat up. He frowned as he looked down at the cut on his chest. He had just gotten it cleaned, wouldn't it be a waist to shower now? He thought that maybe if he kept the front of his torso out of the water then he would be fine. But then again he was in the infirmary and could get some more ointment put on later.

God he was so tired he could barely think straight. He hoped that this shower would help wake him up.

Back in the room Terra left her seat so she could stand next to her husband and curl around his arm, "What will we do if Axel never wakes up?" She whispered to Ansem. Her purple eyes filled with worry.

"I don't know. Hopefully Xehanort will take our sincere apologies and understand that this was a tragic accident." Ansem's voice was deep and vibrated through his chest.

Terra shook her head, "I don't care about Xehanort or what he thinks. I'm worried about both Roxas and Axel. They and their marriage are still too young to go through such a loss. You see how Roxas is handling the situation now, just think of how neurotic he'll get if Axel's condition worsens."

The king hummed low in his throat, "It is a concern yes. But up until this point Roxas didn't seem interested in Axel. This might all just be from the suddenness from the situation. If worse comes to worse, I'm sure Roxas will calm down and move on."

"You're so heartless." Terra muttered into her husband's chest, "I'm going to go prey. You should come too. Axel needs as much help as we can give him." The queen pulled away from Ansem so she could intertwine their fingers and pulled him out of the room.

~X~x~X~x~

Just because Axel was out of commission didn't mean Sora could take a break from training. General Basch seemed to take the opportunity and push the young prince to his limits. Sora had to do everything from running two miles, to sword play, then even archery. Basch was ruthless, but the brunet didn't complain during any of it. The last time he voiced his displeasure someone ended up hurt. And Sora wouldn't do that again.

Training lasted longer than usual by almost two hours. Sora was beaten down and exhausted, but happy that after he cleaned up he was free to go to bed and take a long, well deserved nap. But maybe before that he should check up on Roxas and see if there was any more word on Axel's condition. He hung up his sword in the armory and started to take off his leather vest and other light armor, the nagging feeling of him forgetting something itching in the back of his mind. He looked at the things he had brought in and tried to recall everything he had done over his training.

Arrows! He had forgotten to pick up his arrows and quiver out at the shooting range. He needed to go get it before General Basch could see it and yell at him. The prince ran out and back to the training area. He froze though. The general and one of his knights were standing in the middle of the field talking. If they saw the prince he would have to confess of his slip up. And he was way too tired to have to run another lap or do another push up to make up for it. So he hung back, where the two men couldn't see him.

"Can you believe that Ignis brat?" Basch laughed, "He claims to be some great general, yet he's on his deathbed right now because he can't properly ride a horse." The man snorted, "Just think, once he's gone we can start training Sora the Lamina way. The right way."

Sora silently gasped at that. What was Basch talking about?

"Then I won't hear that bastard complaining about me and my babysitting that bratty prince. I will work that boy so hard that he won't be able to move. That'll show that bastard of a prince, no, bastard of a general, who's better at training their army. If it weren't for that blasted treaty I would have struck him down then and there. How dare he have the nerve to talk to me that way!"

The soldier nodded his head, "I concur sir. Who does that Ignis scum think he is?"

Basch seemed to growing more and more agitated, "This is my kingdom and my army!" He yelled, "I will do as I please. That spoiled heir will do much better once that fag is back where he belongs."

"General Basch!" Sora yelled from where he stood, brows furrowed as he scowled at the man. Basch turned to face the prince as did the knight beside him. As one looked on with slight worry, the other wasn't scared at all.

"Yes my prince?" Basch asked completely calm. He didn't know how much Sora had heard, but he didn't want to act like he had said anything either way.

Sora marched up to the man, ignoring how his sore body protested. The brunet was livid with what he had just heard. He wasn't going to stand around and let someone badmouth an injured man. Once he reached the general, Sora had to crane his neck up just to look Basch in the face. He felt a little intimidated but not enough to rid him of his anger, "Did I hear you wrong or are did you just disrespect my brother-in-law? A prince of Ignis, and the one who helped stop that damned war?"

"You heard me wrong my prince. What are you still doing here? Your training is over." Basch questioned as if he still held authority over the boy.

"Don't change the subject. Did I also hear you say you were going to train me to my breaking point? All because of what Prince Axel had said? If I didn't know any better I'd say you are using me to shove it up Axel's ass as a general?"

"N-no my prince." Basch faltered.

"And now I see you are lying to my face. As you have said, my training is over which means I am now a prince, not a soldier. I outrank you. I will think of a punishment for you after I speak to my father about this. You are lucky my brother, Prince Roxas, is not the one that heard you, or you would have your head on an execution block for treason."

Basch and the knight shared a fearful look, "Please Prince Sora, accept both of our apologies." The general gave the brunet a respectful bow, "Our conversation was nothing more than army banter. We did not mean a word of it."

Sora scoffed, "Tell that to my father." Done with the conversation and needing to speak to Ansem, Sora left to find the king, leaving behind two nervous looking soldiers. He trudged through the grounds, grumbling angrily under his breath. He was having a hard time controlling his anger over what he had heard. How dare Basch think he could disrespect the crown like this! Who did he think he was?

"Sora?" Ventus called as his brother stormed passed him in the halls, "What's wrong?" He had to jog to keep up with Sora's quick pace.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with. Go find Roxas or something." Sora snapped, but Ventus was never good at listening to his older brother so he followed the brunet through the castle halls until they ended up at the doors that lead to the throne room, "Did something happen Sora?" The blond's voice sounded a bit on edge.

Without knocking the eldest prince walked through the door where his parents were having an audience with man who wore a vest that bore the Ignis crest. Blinded by anger Sora ignored the stranger and addressed his father, "Father, I need to talk to you about one of your generals."

"Sora," Ansem glared at his son, "Right now is not the right time. Can't you see I'm in the middle of something?"

But Sora wasn't having it, "But General Basch is working me down to the bone because of some feud he has against Axel! He even said things that make me believe he means to do something to harm Axel."

Ansem wearily glanced at the messenger who still stood in front of him. The man looked shocked, but knew to hold his tongue over the matter, "I'm sorry but I'll have to give you my answer at a later time. You are more than welcomed to find a servant to fix you a room for the night." The messenger didn't say a word as he bowed and left the room. The king then gave Sora his full attention, "And what exactly did Basch say to you?" The older man sounded tired as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"He didn't say it directly towards me, but I overheard him say that he was overworking me to show Axel up, and that he didn't care about my health or wellbeing. He also said some disrespectful things towards Axel, making me believe he doesn't like him and is strongly against his marriage to Roxas."

"And do you have any proof besides what you've heard to prove your accusations?"

"What?" Sora seemed thrown off by what his father had asked, "Isn't my word as heir to the throne good enough? I know what I heard and I know I didn't miss interpret it."

"Sora," Terra called, taking to spare her husband from shouting at her child in frustration, "Basch is a general, he would never have any ill will towards the crown or anyone associated with it. To accuse him of something like this, regardless of your position, we'd need proof."

"What? The man is physically torturing me! How is that not enough proof?" The prince was shocked, "So you won't do anything for your oldest son but everything for the youngest?" Sora pressed, his eyes burning with hurt and anger. He wasn't personally going to hold anything over Roxas, but his father wasn't being fair, "It's no wonder everyone says our kingdom would have lost the war, look who's our King!" Sora didn't wait for a reply, he knew by how red his father's face was getting that he had struck a nerve but he didn't care, "Even Roxas can see that our army sucks. Everyone knows it's true. And nothing will change until you get rid of the self-righteous generals of yours." With that said the prince stormed out of the room, pushing passed a forgotten and shocked Ventus.

Blue eyes looked up to the thrones in the front of the room, "I don't think he meant that-"

Ventus was cut off by The King who spoke in a bitter tone, "Of course he did. And he's not wrong either. I wouldn't give my son away to the enemy unless I was desperate." Ansem sighed and sunk back in his seat, "I can't do anything about Basch, but I can take him off of Sora's training."

The blond prince bowed, "I'll tell him that then. I'm sorry for the interruption." Ventus stood straight and left to go tell his brother of the news.

Ansem turned to one of the knights that flanked the side of the room, "Go fetch General Basch for me. I need to have a discussions with him urgently." Two of the knights nodded and took off to fetch the man. Once they were out of the room Ansem relaxed into his seat and looked over at his wife, "What are we going to do with Sora?"

Terra smiled and grabbed her husband's hand, "Honey, I think it's time to take him under your wing and start to teach him what it means to be king. He's old enough now and needs to understand that just because he has some power doesn't mean he can do whatever he pleases."

"I know. You're right. You're always right." That got a smile from the queen, "I guess I can start him on some small projects that I've been neglecting. Maybe let him sit in on some meetings."

Terra gave a nod with a large smile, "Its small, but it's a start."

~X~x~X~x~

Roxas was in a restless sleep. He tossed and turned on the cot. One eye always seemed to be open to make sure Axel didn't stop breathing. A few of the nurses and doctors came in to check on the redhead's condition. When the time was right, needles were eventually pressed into fair skin so fluids could be pumped into Axel's system. Roxas flinched at that and had to turn his back.

It was getting late in the day. Sora and Ventus had both stopped in to check on the couple, but Roxas faked sleep. He didn't want to talk to anyone. His mind was racing with too many thoughts. He knew he didn't have any romantic feelings towards Axel, but he still didn't want anything to happen to the man.

The castle was settling down for the night. Everyone was worried and struck with grief over the two princes. Axel didn't stir all day, while Roxas refused to even eat. No one knew or even wanted to think about what would happen to the young prince if Axel stayed asleep much longer.

The room was dark, the only source of light came from a candelabra that a maid had lit on Axel's bedside table. The fire light played and danced over Axel's pale skin. His tattoos standing out more and emphasizing the shadows on his face.

Roxas had moved from his cot and was sitting back in the chair. Sleep was the last thing on his mind. His legs were pulled up on the chair with his arms wrapped tightly around them so he was sitting almost in a fetal position. Blue eyes never left Axel's face.

"You're so stupid." Roxas muttered, "The dumbest person I have ever met. Who the hell falls off their own horse? Fuck you owe me your goddamn life." The blond sniffed and rubbed his tired eyes on his kneecaps, "You promised you wouldn't make me upset anymore and it looks like you broke it. Guess that means Hayner gets to go back to Ignis with us huh?" Roxas peaked out from behind his legs and frowned at the lack of movement, "You know if you really wanted to make it up to me you could just, I don't know, wake the hell up already."

Roxas growled. He got the sudden urge to punch Axel, or at least beat him with a pillow. Anything to get a reaction from the man. All of this sitting around was getting on the blond's nerves.

"If you're big, fat, stupid head doesn't kill you, I sure will." Roxas pouted, "See, this is why I hate you so much. You never listen." The blond groaned, "Great, now you got me sounding like a woman. Why do you always do this to me? That's why I don't like you."

He heard a groan. Roxas perked up and watched with amazement when he saw emerald green, "You also complain like a woman." Axel groaned and clenched his eyes shut, "Too bright."

Roxas felt his breath catch and he couldn't gain it back. His heart pounded uncontrollably in his chest, "Axel?" The redhead just hummed in reply, "Don't fuck with me now." The blond was literally on the edge of his seat, watching the man. Disbelief playing over his face.

"I feel like my head was bashed in. What happened? How long have I been out?" The man tried to lift his arm, but just didn't have the strength.

Roxas let out a chocked out laugh and whipped away some tears before they could start falling, "Yeah, that's basically what happened. And you've been out for about a day and a half."

"That explains a lot." Axel sighed and stopped trying to move before he could hurt himself even more, "So what happened?"

"You were an idiot. That's what happened." Roxas let his legs ease off of the chair so he was sitting properly, "You're not allowed to die before I can kill you."

"Well that's why I'm still here." Axel smiled and used what little strength he had to grab the small blond's hand, giving it a weak squeeze, "Sorry for making you cry, but this doesn't count. So Hayner isn't going with us."

"No," Roxas protested, "The contract clearly says that if I cry because of you I get to bring Hayner." He squeezed the hand, smiling at the feeling of returning warmth, "There was no 'null in case of accident' clause." Roxas gave a sad smile and placed Axel's hand back on the bed letting it go, "I should go wake up a doctor so they can look you over."

"Do you have to? I feel fine." Axel pouted, hoping to gain some sympathy from the younger prince. But Roxas was having none of that. With a defeated sigh the redhead gave up and let himself rest back into the bed.

Roxas patted him on the arm, "I won't be gone long. Try not to fall asleep again okay? I need you to stay awake." For my own piece of mind. He wanted to tack that onto the end of his status, but some things just didn't needed to be said.

The blond quickly left the room and wondered around the main parts of the infirmary. It didn't take long to find a doctor who was put on shift to keep track of Axel's condition. The two returned to the private room. Axel laid there, his eyes closed and breaths even. Roxas felt his heart sink a bit, "I thought I said no sleeping." He muttered.

The doctor frowned, "I'm sorry my prince, but I fear your husband is still unconscious. Perhaps your mind was just hearing things because of your own lack of sleep." The man tried to offer. He turned to leave but didn't get far.

"'M not asleep." Axel groaned, "Just resting. Sleeping all day takes a lot out of a person."

Roxas let out a sigh of relief while the doctor just gaped in surprised, "You're an ass, you know that right? I asked for you to stay awake."

Axel didn't have a chance to answer before the doctor was on him. The redhead was helped into a sitting position. His face turned green as pain and vertigo shot through him. But the doctor ignored that and started to unravel the bandages from the man's head. Stiff, blood soaked spikes fell around Axel's shoulders, Roxas had to cover his mouth to stop a laugh.

Dangerous green eyes glared over to the blond, "And what's so funny?" He growled.

Roxas just couldn't help it. He let out a small giggle, "You're hair. It just looks so weird. I mean it's already blood colored, so you can't see anything, but it just looks so stiff and spikey. Like a porcupine." At that Roxas doubled over in laughter. Axel's hair really wasn't that funny. But between lack of sleep and the weight that had been lifted off of the blond's shoulders, anything and everything could be made into a joke for the young prince.

Axel just gave Roxas a look like the young blond had gone mad, "What has gotten into you?" The man winced when the doctor pressed against a sore spot, "Will you be careful!?" He snapped. The doctor gave a meek sorry and went back to his examination. Axel turned his attention back to Roxas, "If it's really bothering you that much you can always wash it." He wanted to slap himself after saying that. He didn't want to bathe with Roxas.

Roxas blushed at the words, "Umm…What?" The blond composed himself, "I mean, if you really want to…then..." The young prince wearily eyed the doctor who was trying to finish his examination as quickly and efficiently as possible. He didn't need any rumors about his and Axel's sex life spreading around the castle. Even if they were having sex, it was none of the help's business.

"No, you don't have to. I don't know why I said that." The redhead frowned. He didn't understand why he felt so disappointed.

The doctor finished and turned to the bond, "I do think it would be in his best interest. With the nature of the injury it would be best if someone besides Prince Axel washed it." He then turned his attention to the redhead, "And I don't think you should be left alone for too long, especially in a hot room filled with steam. You'll be woozy for the next few days and I wouldn't be surprised if you even pass out a few times. It's something to expect with such a head injury." He decided that wrapping the prince's head back up wasn't necessary since it was no longer bleeding, and left the room, saying he'd be back in a two hours to take the redhead's vitals again.

When the room lapsed into silence Roxas sat back down in his chair with a tired huff. Axel didn't lay back down, content with finally being able to sit up and properly look at the blond, "How long have you been here?" The older prince finally asked after taking in Roxas's slumped poster and the bags under his usual bright blue eyes.

Roxas just shrugged, "I left for about half an hour to get my wound checked on and took a shower, but I've been here for the most part." He admitted unashamed. He had every right to be there. Axel just snorted and leaned back against the headboard, "What?" Roxas snapped at the smug look.

"You were worried about me." Axel turned his head so he could smile at Roxas, "You know you didn't have to stay. A nurse could have kept you up to date on my contention."

The blond blushed and pulled his legs up so he could hide behind them, "Well maybe if you weren't so stupid I wouldn't have to keep an extra eye on you."

"You know I heard you." At Roxas's confused look Axel elaborated, "I felt like I was floating around in just a pool of darkness. I couldn't see anything or move. It was actually pretty nice, I didn't really want to leave. Then I heard you question my riding skills and call me stupid." Axel smiled a bit, "And you said you hated me, yet you sounded like you were crying. I thought to myself 'I better get out of here so I can comfort him and show him that I'm fine.' It was because of you that I woke up." The redhead reached out and put his hand on top of blond spikes. He would have liked to cup Roxas's cheek and make the teen look at him, but he was still hiding behind his legs, "You're such a strong force Roxas. You've been through so much in such a short time. And yet here you are, embracing everything as it comes at you."

Blue eyes peaked out to stare as Axel continued to talk, "You never get intimidated whenever we argue. You know what's right and wrong and stick to what you believe no matter what. There's something special inside you kid. And I'm sorry I didn't recognize it sooner. You deserve-"

Axel was cut off when Roxas jumped on him. Soft lips pressed against his. Small hands grabbing at his shoulders to hold him in place. Timidly Axel reached up and held Roxas by the back of his neck. He felt the blond's muscles tense at the touch, but before Axel could pull away Roxas relaxed into the man.

Before things could escalate into anything more than an innocent meeting of lips Roxas pulled away. Axel sputtered when he felt those hands wonder up and trace both of his cheeks, "What are you doing?" He quietly asked, almost like he was afraid to talk any louder or risk scaring the blond away from him.

Roxas just shrugged and continued gently petting the redhead, "I'm sleep deprived and emotionally drained. It's all your fault so you have to make it up to me."

"With kisses?" Axel couldn't help the smile that spread across his face. He didn't care that he was more or less taking advantage of Roxas's tired state. He was in pain and the blond's lips seemed to be the perfect distraction.

Roxas shook his head and shifted off of the man, pulling Axel to lay down next to him, "No. But maybe a cuddle?" He laid on his side so his face was pressed against the redhead's chest. One arm slung around Axel's narrow waist.

Axel was shocked at the blond's attitude. He must have been really shaken up if he wanted to be held by the redhead. Axel felt his heart drop at that. This was all his fault. Everything from the beginning of their marriage until now. Minding the IV in his arm, Axel draped his arm around the small teen's shoulders, almost like he could shield him from everything wrong in the world, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

Roxas groaned and buried his nose into Axel's shirt, "Shut up and sleep."

Axel laughed through his nose at that. He gently kissed the top of Roxas's head, "Good night Roxas."

~X~x~X~x~

"Leave them on."

"Yeah, yeah I know." Axel muttered as he stripped his shirt off. He had gotten the all clear from the doctors in the infirmary to leave. Now he just needed to wash all of the dried blood out of his hair. And true to his word, Roxas had agreed to help.

The blond currently had his back facing the older prince as he adjusted the water temperature. His shirt and shoes were stripped off leaving him in only his trousers. Axel was dressed in a similar way.

"Okay I think it's good. I tried to keep it cool enough so there's not a lot of steam, but warm enough that we don't freeze our asses off. What do you think?"

He moved over a bit so Axel could dip his hand in the water, "It'll do. We might have to add some more warm water in later, but it's good enough for now." Axel carefully climbed into the large tub. Roxas followed shortly after. He sat facing Axel so he was straddling the redhead's thighs.

"Tilt your head back for me." The prince ordered as he grabbed a cup he had left on the ledge earlier. When Axel did as he was told, Roxas dumped the water over red spikes. Axel hissed in pain as the water dribbled over his wound, but it wasn't anything he couldn't live with. Once Roxas was satisfied with that he dumped some shampoo in his hand, "Okay his is probably gonna hurt. Don't pass out on me. I don't think I can pick you up if you fall in the water, and if you drown on my watch everyone will think I did it on purpose."

"Don't worry. I can handle a little pain." Axel braced himself as Roxas started to scrub his hair. The man's face scrunched up, "Oh gods, you're not using your shampoo are you?" He groaned as the light sent of flowers spread throughout the room.

Roxas stuck his tongue out in disgust at the feeling of Axel's stiff hair. He had to wash the red hair in sections and comb his fingers through the blood and knots, "Umm…yeah. I guess I used the bath last and left my things here." He paused and leaned back so he could clearly see Axel's face, "Why? Do you really want me to get out to get your shampoo and rewash your hair? Because I'm not." Axel opened his mouth to argue, but shut up when a soapy hand clamped over his mouth, "No. Not doing it. So you don't smell like a macho man. Who cares? No one should be smelling you anyway." Roxas pulled his hand away and went back to washing Axel's hair. He even went as far as to add more shampoo into the sudsy locks.

Axel spat out soap that had gotten in his mouth and glared at Roxas, "Well I have to smell myself and don't particular like the it."

Roxas stilled, but didn't pull away, "So you don't like my smell?" The blond's voice was quiet and weak, sending a spike through Axel's heart. But before the man could apologize Roxas started up his scrubbing again. And in a much lighter tone said, "Well, who cares if you don't. Hell, the less you like my smell the better." He filled the cup with water again and rinsed out the shampoo, "Why did you have to go and bleed so much? You're making my job so much harder." He scooched higher up in Axel's lap so he could have better access to the back of the man's head. His elbows rested on Axel's shoulders and his breath hit the man's ear.

"I'm sorry. Next time I injure myself I'll tell my red blood cells to stop what they're doing and make less of a mess for you." Axel went ridged at the feeling of Roxas's chest rub against his. Ifrit had to be punishing him.

Roxas didn't seem to notice the redhead's dilemma as he fought with a particularly hard knot. His fingers tugged and pulled at the strands of hair, not noticing his lower half getting closer to Axel's.

Axel hissed as his sore skull was pulled at. His hips arched off the bottom of the tub as his body spasmed. Unfortunately for both of them, their clothed crotches rubbed against each other. Axel let out a surprised groan at the stimulation, while Roxas completely pulled away. His eyes wide and unnerved.

"What the fuck?" He hissed, "What's your game?"

Axel shook his head as he tried to get rid of dots that danced across his vision, "Fuck you don't need to abuse me. I'm already in enough pain as is. I don't need you pulling on me too." The prince gave out one last curse when extra soap slipped into his eyes.

Roxas bit his lip as he watched the redhead. The blond knew Axel didn't mean anything sexual. Taking a deep breath Roxas grabbed the cup again, "Here, let me help. Tilt your head back." He shooed Axel's hands away from his eyes and poured water over the man's face washing the soap away, "Better? He asked in a quiet voice.

Axel swiped his hands over his eyes one last time, "Better."

"Well this is awkward." A new voice said in the doorway, making the men in the tub jump away from each other. Venus laughed and almost doubled over, "It's good to see you up Axel." His voice was sincere and happy, "I don't know how much longer I could take watching my brother mope around like that."

Roxas made an annoyed noise in the back of his throat, "Yeah, Sora was getting annoying with his downer attitude. Hey!" He yelled when Axel splashed him. He retaliated with his own splash, cheering when it hit the man right in the face.

"Oh my god you two are such dorks."

"Shut up Ven!" Roxas growled as he was attacked with another splash, "And you stop it."

Ven took another step into the bathroom, "Are both of you wearing your trousers? What the hell is wrong with you?" He genuinely sounded confused, "What's there to cover up? I mean you're both men and working with the same equipment."

The dry blond sputtered when two splashes came at him, drenching the front of his clothes, "Can't you see we're a bit busy. What do you want?" Roxas asked.

"I just heard Axel was awake and I wanted to come see for myself. Besides you two geniuses left the bathroom door open and I heard talking." Ventus explained, "You two really are too cute for your own good." That earned him another splash.

"Get out Ven!" Roxas was relentless with his attack as he got water everywhere in an attempt to get his twin out of his room. His face beat red with embarrassment. Axel just looked shell-shocked. He had never been called cute before.

The older blond laughed, "Okay I'm leaving. Glad to see you up and about Axel. And Roxas, be nice to the sickie okay?" Ventus left the room with an evil snicker. His job as older brother and poking fun at Roxas was finished.

"Your brother is fucking weird." Axel muttered as he started to climb out of the tub. His hand clutching the side of his head.

Roxas was quicker with getting out and helped steady the taller man, "Are you okay?" The blond's forehead wrinkled with concern.

"Just getting light headed." Axel leaned heavily onto the blond.

Roxas grunted under the sudden weight, "Don't pass out on me." The blond silently cursed himself for letting his brother leave. He could really use the help. Taking small, careful steps, with the help of a barely there Axel, Roxas somehow made it to the bed, "There." He groaned out as he helped ease the taller man onto the soft surface, not minding how his pants soaked into the sheets, "Better?"

Axel rested his head against the teen's shoulder, making Roxas stiffen under the touch. He didn't know why it felt so much more intimate than how they were sitting in the tub, "Much." He took a deep and let it out slowly.

Roxas looked down into the red locks and frowned at the suds that still lingered, "I never finished rinsing your hair out." He muttered as he pulled on said hair with a gentle tug, "Do you think you can handle going in again or do you just want me to get a wet towel and rub it out?"

"I don't want you or me to move right now." Axel had his eyes clenched shut as he willed the world to stop spinning around him.

Roxas frowned at that. He let his fingers comb through Axel's hair before any wet knots could set in. Axel hissed when Roxas pulled on one particular soft spot. Parting hair Roxas looked over Axel's head. He pushed away some of the hair so he could get a better look at the man's skull. An angry red line traveled up the man's head in a jagged line. Roxas paled at the sight. The wound was small, yet it had made Axel bleed so much and was still causing him pain.

"So why did you decide to go hunting? I thought you were excited that I was letting you back in my room." Roxas asked once he released the hair and leaned back so Axel couldn't rest on him anymore.

Green eyes were hazed over as Axel tried to gain his equilibrium back, "Because you're so hot and cold with me. I just needed some space."

Roxas furrowed his brow, "I'm sorry?" Roxas fully pulled away and took a couple steps back. So he was the reason for all of this. The blond bit at his lip. He didn't know he was causing all of his trouble. But he didn't know how he felt for Axel. Especially now that he knew the man was starting to develop feelings for him. It scared Roxas, "We should probably change our trousers before we get sick huh?" The blond turned to his dresser to get a new pair of pants

"Roxas?" Axel called. When he got no reply the man swore, "Look I didn't mean it like that. You weren't the problem. It was me."

"You don't have to lie. I can take it." Roxas said with a frown on his face. He handed Axel a pair of sleep pants, "These should fit you."

Axel gratefully took the pants. His clothes had been moved to his new room, "It's true though. It was my fault. I shouldn't have wondered of on my own like that in a place I'm not used to. Thank you for finding me by the way. I don't know if I told you yet, but thank you. I don't think I would still be alive if it wasn't for you."

"You're welcome." Roxas muttered. His voice flat. That wasn't the problem here, "I'm going to go change in the bathroom and give you some privacy. Do you think you got this or do you want me to get someone to help you?"

"I think I got it. Thank you."

Roxas quickly darted into the bathroom and closed the door behind him. He went back to the tub and started to drain out the now old water, taking note of the pink tint. He'd have to get someone in here later to clean. He pulled off his dirty and wet clothes in favor of dry ones.

The teen sighed in relief now that he was wearing something more comfortable. He knocked on the door to give Axel some warning before going back into his room. A towel in one hand and brush in the other, "Here we need to fix up your hair before the shampoo dries it up."

Axel was still shirtless but had managed to change into the new pants. He also pulled away the wet sheets so he wouldn't soil the dry clothing. When Roxas was close enough he grabbed the towel, "I got this." He tossed the towel over his head and started to violently rub.

Roxas winced at the action. The man had to be in pain from pulling and hitting his injury, "Here." The blond grabbed Axel by the wrist to get him to stop, "You're going to hurt yourself. I'll do it." He used the brush to gently brush out knots and stray soap from the red hair. Once that task was done, Roxas picked the towel back up and softly rubbed Axel's head.

No words were exchanged between the two as Roxas worked. The towel fell all around Axel. The white cloth draped over his head and brushed his shoulders. Axel's eyes never left Roxas's face as the blond dried his hair.

Roxas gulped at the redhead's expression. Axel, the second prince of Ignis, who was raise to never be weak, had put his pride in Roxas's hands. The man Roxas had married a month ago would never allow himself to be touched like this by another male. The blond felt his heart speed up as he lifted the seated man's face up and brought his down.

Roxas closed his eyes, scared to see Axel's reaction. Their second kiss lasted longer than the first. The soft towel fell around the two as lips experimentally moved against one another. Axel couldn't close his eyes. He was in awe over what was happening. He studied the teen's face as it slowly relaxed.

Axel groaned when he felt Roxas push more into his body. He wanted to touch him. He needed to be closer. Slowly, the redhead brought his hand up to cup Roxas's jaw. The blond gasped at the touch, pulling away. When he saw no malice in Axel's eyes he relaxed into the touch with a small sigh and kissed the redhead again before pulling his lips away and relaxing. Axel took that as a good sign and brought their faces back together for a series of small pecks. He pulled Roxas's face closer to his for one last deep kiss before releasing him.

Both men were slightly breathless. Axel rubbed his thumb next to Roxas's ear, not wanting to let the blond go yet, "Why did you do that?" His voice was quiet and full of curiosity.

Roxas blushed and tried to advert his eyes, but couldn't fully turn away, "Because you looked so helpless." He admitted, "And I guess I wanted to see if you would push me away."

"Push you away?" Axel scrunched up his eyebrows.

"Yeah. If you were lying when you said you love me-"

"I don't love you." Axel sighed.

The blond brushed that off like the other man hadn't said anything, "Then you would have pulled away and probably hit me."

That made Axel's stomach drop. Had he really been that bad? "Roxas, liking and loving are two completely different things. And I only say like because I'm just barely understanding how I feel about you." He made sure to hold Roxas's eyes as he spoke, so the blond knew he was telling the truth, "I deeply regret my earlier actions, and I'm sorry that I let my fear get in the way and leave such a negative impact on you."

Roxas felt his heart skip a beat from the sincere words. He didn't know what to say. So instead he pressed their lips together again. His hands winding into crimson locks, slightly pulling when he felt Axel's free hand grab at his hip.

"Fuck!" Axel completely pulled away from the blond, "Quit trying to start a fight by hurting me." He hissed as he rubbed the sore spot.

Roxas gave the man a remorseful look, "Sorry. Kind of got lost in the moment." With a sigh he plopped on the bed, face buried in the mattress, "And I'm sorry." He could feel Axel's stare on his back, "I can't return your feelings just yet." He craned his head awkwardly to the side so he could look at the redhead, "But you're a pretty good kisser."

Axel stretched back so he was lying next to the young prince, "Well, I guess that's good start then." The two didn't mind that it was still early in the day, they opted for lounging around in bed all day sharing lazy kisses. After all, the doctor had told them that Axel shouldn't be wondering around or exerting himself too much for the next couple of days.


	15. Comfort Zone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As promised a Saturday update :) it's not as long as the other chapters, but that's because I gave myself a little break from writing since NaNo burnt me out lol  
> Please review and tell me what you'd like to see in future chapters

Axel leaned against a post as he watched the princes of Lamina train. He didn't know what had happened over the week he had been out of commission, but General Basch had been replaced as Sora's trainer with General Fran. It wasn't common for a woman to rise through the ranks, but this woman somehow managed to do it all the while looking good in her six inch heels which helped give her a sexy and dangerous look. And to make things easier for both Axel and the king, she had also agreed to train Ventus and Roxas as well.

The redhead winced when the woman slashed her whip at Roxas to make him run faster. Axel would have gotten mad with the general, but the silver haired woman was careful not to hurt the prince and she did have to push Roxas to help him grow.

Over the past week Axel and Roxas had gotten exceptionally closer. Roxas still jumped if Axel touched him, but would quickly brush it off and grab the man's hand or lean against him to show that he wasn't afraid. They hadn't moved passed small pecks that they shared here and there, but Axel wasn't complaining. He wouldn't force anything on the young prince again and was happy to go at Roxas's pace.

"Okay Ventus and Roxas you two are done for the day." Fran said. The twins gave identical smiles before running off, ignoring their older brother's cries to come back.

"Hey." Roxas jogged up to Axel with a large smile on his face, "How long have you been out here?" He reached out to intertwine their fingers, the action didn't go unnoticed by Ventus who was slowly walking up to the pair.

"Only for the last ten minutes or so." Green eyes softened when Roxas squeezed his hand, "I just wanted to see how your training was going."

Roxas didn't seem to buy that, "You mean you're going stir crazy and miss having something to do?"

"When did you two start getting so chummy with each other?" Ventus suddenly asked, startling his brother and making him drop Axel's hand, "Not that I'm complaining or anything, but it just seems like a couple of week ago you two were always at the others throat and now look at you." The blond gave the couple a soft smile, "Keep it up, okay?"

Roxas blushed and took a step away from Axel, making the redhead frown a bit, "Shut up Ven. Why are you so invested in my life?"

"Because you're my baby brother and I love you." The oldest blond goaded. He even poked Roxas for good measure, earning a glare in return.

After watching the two interact Axel decided it was probably time to intervene, "So, it looks like you're new trainer knows what she's doing."

"Yup." Ventus turned his attention away from his twin, "Did you know she was a thief that was captured when she tried to rob the palace vaults?" Axel seemed taken aback by that. Who puts someone who tried to steal from them in charge of their armies? The young prince seemed to catch Axel's confusion and continued talking, "The night before she was to be executed she single handedly escaped her cell. But we were expecting something like that and were waiting. When she was recaptured father was impressed with her strong will and cleverness and offered her a position in his army. But if she ever turned on us she would be executed on the spot. It's been a few years and things have been going well. I don't think she'll turn on us again."

"Except she won't tell us where her partners are at." Roxas frowned, "If we can find that band of thieves then a lot of our problems would be solved."

"Why not hold Fran hostage then? Have them surrender their freedom for her life?" Axel asked. In Ignis any thief caught would be killed on the spot. No questions asked.

"Because then we'd lose one of our finest general." Ventus put simply with a shrug, "Plus with her here and Father's rule about her turning against us seems to have kept them at bay. They've taken to causing havoc on the outskirts of the kingdom. Sometimes we get a complaint from King Snow about them being seen in Hibernis, but nothing much outside of that."

"And King Snow's okay with this?" Axel asked with a raised brow. There was no way a ruler of a kingdom would tolerate thieves from a neighboring kingdom.

"Well there's not much he can do about it. Fran isn't from our country. We don't know where they're from actually. They just showed up one day."

"That's odd." Axel frowned.

Roxas just shrugged and started to walk back to the palace with the other two closely behind, "Well we caught one of their leaders so they've calmed down a considerable amount. Nothing to get too upset about. And she is really good at what she does. I mean it's only been a week and I feel considerable stronger and run faster now."

"How's your injury doing? You haven't been stressing it too much have you?" The redhead sounded concerned, which made Ventus perk up a bit and smile even harder at the couple, but it went unnoticed.

"It hurts a bit, but I don't think I've strained it too badly. I just want to push myself and get better." Roxas rubbed at his chest like he was trying to sooth the irritated wound. Axel reached out and grabbed the hand.

"How about you do bare minimal now and once we're in Ignis, and you're fully healed, I'll work your ass so hard that what you're doing with Fran will seem like child's play."

Ventus laughed a little too hard at that, drawing Axel and Roxas's attention towards him. He had to bite his lip to try to conceal it, "What? Don't look at me like that! I didn't say anything."

Roxas groaned, "I don't even want to know what you were thinking." He was gently pulled into Axel's side, and he gratefully leaned into the man. His legs were sore and stiff from the workout and he was happy to have someone support at least some of his weight.

"You two really are super cute together."

"Shut up Ven!" Both Axel and Roxas yelled in unison which only made the blond's smile widen. He felt a weight lift at the thought of things actually working out for his brother. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad after all.

~X~x~X~x~

Ansem sat in his throne room. His head resting on top of his propped up hand. It had been a long day and many people had come to ask their king for favors and requests. He was ready to retire for the day but there was still one other matter to attend to.

"King Xehanort has sent a messenger asking for your return soon." He said to the blond and redhead who stood in front of him, "I need to know of Roxas's condition and dates to set up your ball."

Axel was slightly taken aback. He had completely forgotten about the party that his in-laws had wanted to throw for their kingdom in celebration of their youngest prince's marriage. And in all honesty he didn't really want to do it. He and Roxas had just recently started to warm up to each other, he didn't know how well things would go over with all eyes on them. He barely made it thought their wedding night and they only had to be together for one dance.

"I feel fine." Roxas admitted with a meek voice. It was clear he wasn't ready to go back to Ignis, "I've started to train with Sora and Ventus, and it hasn't really gotten in my way yet."

Ansem rubbed at his beard as he studied his youngest son, "Is that so? Do you think you'd be able to handle a party by next week?"

"Next week!?" Roxas jolted at that. He looked almost distressed at the news, "But I don't…." He bit his lower lip trying to think of what to say without offending Axel, "I think I still need some more time."

The king frowned at that, "But you just said you were doing fine. And King Xehanort still needs an answer. It seems he's growing impatient so the sooner your return the better."

"Give us two weeks. We'll be ready to return to my kingdom by then." Axel replied for Roxas. He looked over at the worried looking blond. He felt his heart break a little at the sight. As much as he missed his own family and kingdom, he hated that he had to tear Roxas away from his.

"Very well, I'll send word to your father and the other kingdoms informing them about the ball." The king motioned to his advisor to make note of it for him.

"I'm sorry King Ansem," Axel interrupted, "Other kingdoms? I thought this was going to be a small affair for your own kingdom's amusement."

"Yes that was the intention, but who doesn't like a good party. Especially while we're in a time of peace like this? It will still be small scaled compared to your wedding."

Roxas didn't look too happy about that news, but there wasn't much he could do about it. It was only for one night anyway. He'd live through it.

"Is there anything else you needed us for?" Axel politely asked.

"I believe that was it. You two are excused and if I need any farther information or questions I'll have a servant come fetch you for me." Ansem waved his son and the redhead away.

With a bow from each the couple left the throne room. Green eyes glanced to the side as Axel studied Roxas. The blond looked deflated and tired, "I know you're not excited about leaving, but you know you can still come visit and your family can come to us too. You'll have at the very least me and Kairi so you won't be totally lonely." He tried to give Roxas an encouraging smile, but the blond was looking straight ahead and not paying the man any attention.

Roxas was quiet the entire walk back to their room and it was driving Axel insane. He didn't want Roxas to revert back to his zombie state. Not now that he had finally started to get him out of his shell.

"Hey," He called to the blond who had left his side and was walking towards the bed.

Roxas stopped in his tracks and turned back to Axel, his eyes watery with tears, "Can I be alone for a while? I just…" He took in a deep breathe, "I just need some space. Okay?"

Axel just nodded. He knew what needing to be isolated to think felt like. At least Roxas was just going to stay in his room and not do anything reckless like go out into the woods alone. The redhead exited the room and aimlessly walked throughout the halls. He had nowhere special to be and knew that he shouldn't go out to explore the town alone, and getting a couple guards to tag along just seemed like more work than it was worth.

The redhead eventually found himself outside in a large garden. The strong scent of flowers reminded Axel of the prince that was currently locked away in his room, making the man frown. He didn't know what to do to make Roxas happy with going back to Ignis.

It would be a hard transition for Roxas, especially with the welcome that the blond had already gotten. Axel groaned as he wandered passed a large hedge maze, this wasn't going to be easy. Maybe things would have worked out better if Axel hadn't been such a closed minded ass about everything. Maybe then Roxas wouldn't be so upset about leaving.

"Prince Axel, what a coincidence seeing you here." A very familiar voice said. Axel gulped at the woman who stood in front of him. He had a feeling that this wasn't a coincidence at all. Vanille stood in front of Axel with a large smile, leaning heavily on a staff that was twice her size.

"Priestess." He nodded in greeting, "What brings you out this way?"

"I just like to come out here time to time and look at the flowers. I've also heard about your accident and wanted to see if you were okay. It wouldn't do us much good if you were to die on us too soon."

Axel bristled at her words. Vanille seemed to have an air around her that gave off that she knew more than what she said, "What do you mean?"

The priestess tilted her head and looked Axel up and down, "You'll see in good time my prince. You'll see." She pushed off her staff and approached the redhead, "Now it seems you have a little problem of your own. How are things going with Prince Roxas? Did you listen to my advice or are you still fighting your destiny?"

The prince frowned at what he heard. His destiny? But he knew it was useless asking about it. Vanille wouldn't tell him anything, "I confessed that I was developing feelings and willing to put my beliefs to the side for him, but Roxas doesn't feel the same about me."

That didn't seem to bother Vanille in the least bit, "Yes, our little prince has always been stubborn and hard headed, but that's just one of his many good qualities. Give him some time, he'll warm around to you."

"But I don't want him to just warm up to me because there's no one else. I'd like to be someone he chooses and not just a last resort." Axel scoffed. Is that what he was to Roxas? Just a body to snuggle up to at night and someone to share kisses with?

"Is that what you're afraid of? Of rejection?"

Yes. "No. Why would I be afraid of that? I have plenty of people who'd want me."

"But do you want them?" Axel had to look away. He didn't like how Vanille was looking at him, like she knew what he was trying so desperately to hide, "Or do you want Roxas, body and soul?"

"It doesn't matter what I want. What matters is what Roxas wants. And what he wants is to stay here with his family, and I'm the one taking it away from him." The redhead's voice was low. He suddenly felt guilty.

"I don't know what to tell you Prince Axel." Vanille admitted, "But I hope you know that Prince Roxas does not blame you. You should go talk to the boy. He might need your reassurance more than anyone else's."

"But he kicked me out of our room." Axel rubbed the back of his head and looked towards the castle, "I guess I can go check on him. Maybe he's calmed down."

"Maybe." The woman agreed, "But you won't know until you check on him. Now scoot." She waved the prince off.

Axel was shocked by what the woman did, but his mind was busy worrying about Roxas. With a curt nod the prince quickly left to go back to his room.

~X~x~X~x~

Ventus relaxed against the headboard with Roxas's head in his lap. The younger teen had fallen asleep at some point, lulled to sleep by his brother combing his fingers through his hair. Ventus had come into Roxas's room just because he hadn't seen his younger twin in a few days and wanted to hang out for a bit, he wasn't expecting to find Roxas crying into his pillows. At first Ventus was filled with rage thinking that Axel was at fault and had been the one to upset his brother. But before he could go find the redhead Roxas stopped him and explained what was going on.

Ventus would be a liar if he said he didn't cry a little bit when he found out. He knew that Roxas was going to be leaving Lamina, but knowing that it would be coming up in two weeks felt so final. Ventus didn't want Roxas to leave.

The twins hugged and tried to calm the other down until Roxas had finally fallen asleep. Leaving Ventus alone with his thoughts. His time within the castle walls would get significantly lonelier. Sure he would still have Sora to talk to, but the heir was constantly busy now between his training in the army and working under their father. Maybe he could convince Ansem into letting him go to Ignis with Roxas and Axel. It's not like he had any responsibilities around the kingdom.

Ventus was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of the door opening. Axel walked in with his head bowed, "You can come in you know. It's your room too." The blond gave the man a small smile to show he meant no harm.

"Did he finally calm down?" Axel asked as he approached the bed. He couldn't take his eyes off of the young prince. He just looked so peaceful.

Ventus just nodded as he continued to comb through blond spikes, "Yeah finally. He really doesn't want to go huh?" Axel frowned and shook his head, "Can't say that I don't blame him though. Do you think your father would let me tag along? I think if I go it will help him adjust faster."

"I don't know. The messenger he sent has already left with your father's answer, so you'd have to send your own and that's completely up to Ansem." Axel sat at the foot of the bed, "I personally wouldn't have a problem with it, and I don't really see my siblings caring all that much. But my father can be finicky when it comes to who enters his kingdom. I guess that's just centuries of war eating at his nerves though.' The redhead looked out the balcony window and at the sun that had started its slow decent down the sky, "He'd probably say that Roxas isn't a child anymore and the best way to make him grow up would to not give him a crutch."

Ventus's mouth formed a thin line, "Well he'll have you at least right?"

"He'll always have me." The redhead's words brought a smile to the other prince's face.

"He better. What kind of husband would leave his spouse alone?" Ventus studied Axel, noticing the faint blush that colored the man's cheeks and how he wouldn't look at him or Roxas, "I'm glad you finally confessed to Roxas." The older blond suddenly said, making Axel flinch and look at him, confusion written on his face.

"But I didn't."

Ven stopped playing with his brother's hair and gently set it on the teen's shoulder, "Well maybe it's not love right now, but I can tell there's something going on between the two of you. Don't forget I am Roxas's twin, I can tell when even the slightest thing happens to him. And judging by both his lips and yours there has been some kissing going on." He winked at the redhead, "Just don't force him into anything okay? Promise me that?"

Axel looked slightly offended at that, "I would never do that to him. I only go as far as he wants." He let out a hard breathe through his nose, "It's the most I can do after…" He let the thought hang. They both knew what Axel was referring too.

"Honestly, I think he's over that." The blond gently petted his brother's side. He saw the teen's face scrunch up. Maybe Roxas wasn't as asleep as he thought, "How about you? Are you over it yet?"

Axel got up and started to pace. He suddenly felt trapped, "I don't know. I'm so afraid of moving forward with him because I don't want to hurt him again." He said truthfully. Lying to Roxas's twin didn't seem like a good idea at the moment, "I don't want to do anything that would make him feel uncomfortable. I guess, maybe I'm not over it." He looked at the sleeping blond with a frown, "I should go before I wake him up."

The redhead turned to leave but was stopped, "Ven can leave. I think there's some things Axel and I need to talk about." Axel turned back to the bed and saw that Roxas as indeed up and had sat up so he could properly address his brother.

"Yeah, you both have some serious issues that need working out." The older twin agreed. He go up and left the room.

"So…" Axel still stood in the middle of the room. He mentally cursed himself. Of course Roxas would be awake during his and Ventus's exchange, "What do we need to talk about? Because I think everything that can be said already has."

"Yeah…I guess that's true." Roxas bit his lip as he thought. Something needed to be done to show Axel that Roxas wasn't afraid of him anymore. Suddenly he got an idea. The blond stood up and grabbed the taller man by the arm and pulled him towards the bed, "Sit."

Axel gave Roxas a leery look, "Why?" There really was no reason to question Roxas's motives, but Axel didn't like surprises and he didn't know what the prince was thinking.

"Do you trust me?" Roxas's voice was small as he looked up at Axel with large innocent looking eyes. Axel felt his mouth go dry at that look. He had a bad feeling about this.

"I'm pretty sure there's still a part of you that wants my head on a steak." The redhead truthfully said. Instantly feeling guilty when hurt passed over Roxas's face, "Fuck, it wasn't meant to come out like that. I just don't know what your intentions ever are."

"Well trust me." Roxas pushed Axel down so the redhead was sitting on the bed with the young prince hovering over him with his hands holding him down by his shoulders, "So you're afraid of hurting me still?" Axel nodded his head, "Okay well how about I show you that I'm not afraid anymore?"

"And how are you going to do that?"

Roxas gave a suggestive wink, "Like this." And before Axel could ask what 'this' was Roxas's lips were upon his. It was slow and familiar. Roxas relaxed into Axel's warm body. The man reached up to hold Roxas by his slim hips, trying to pull him closer, but that just made the blond pull away from his lips. His fingers intertwined with Axels and he gently pried the hands off of his hips, "No touching. Okay? I need to know that you won't do anything I'm uncomfortable with. And to prove to the both of us that you can control yourself. Does that sound good?"

Axel closed his eyes and took a deep breathe. His heart beat erratically in his chest. All he had to do was keep his hands to himself. That shouldn't be too hard. He opened his eyes and looked into those deep blue orbs that were only a couple of inches away, "Yeah…I can do that."

"Good." Roxas kissed him again. This time harder, making Axel grunt in surprise. Small hands tangled in long hair, pulling the man closer. Wanting to be as close as possible the blond climbed onto Axel's lap, his legs on either side on the man's hips.

Axel's hands balled up as he fought himself from grabbing onto the smaller male. He wanted to hold him and feel Roxas's body tremble under his touch. But he couldn't. He felt Roxas smirk. That devilish blond knew what he was doing to him.

Lips parted and teeth came out to play. Axel couldn't suppress a moan when Roxas bit his lower lip and pulled. Not one to be outshone Axel bit back. Roxas froze at that, making the redhead tense thinking he did something wrong.

Apparently that didn't count as touching because Roxas didn't pull back. Instead the blond let out a deep moan that made his chest vibrate and his hands tug on Axel's hair. Roxas lifted his knees so he was now hovering over Axel, easily dominating the kiss.

Tongues came out to play as Roxas prodded inside Axel's mouth, making the redhead submit to him. Roxas had to admit, he liked having power over Axel. His hands moved from crimson spikes and trailed down to Axel's chest. His fingers thumped over the man's harsh heartbeat. Did he really make Axel that nerves?

Pulling away blue stared into awestruck green. Both men panted as they tried to catch their breaths. Roxas looked down and saw how Axel's hands were twisted into the sheets and how his arms trembled with anticipation. His lips were puffy and bruised from the harsh kissing which made something stir inside Roxas that he had never felt before.

"Fuck Roxas." The redhead finally managed to pant out. That made something snap inside Roxas.

The blond leaned down until he could latch onto Axel's pale neck. Being able to feel and hear the man above him moan was driving Roxas crazy. Teeth bit down hard, making Axel's breath hitch and his hips twitch up, making him feel something hard in Roxas's trousers. Both men moaned as their crotches rubbed against one another. But that's as far as it went.

Roxas pulled away from Axel's neck, making sure to give the forming bruise an apologetic lick before he fully sat up, "S-sorry." He shifted back a couple inches so he was closer to Axel's knees and farther away from his crotch, "That's as far as I can go right now."

Axel groaned at that. He had never been told to stop before. But at the same time, a small part of him was relieved. He wasn't ready to have sex with a man yet, "Yeah." His mouth suddenly felt dry, "That sounds like a good idea."

Roxas gave the man one last peck before fully climbing off of him. The teen's face was bright red when he saw the tent that was starting to form in Axel's pants. Roxas could feel his own cock twitch unashamed at the sight, "I'm going outside for some air." He squeaked out before retreating towards the balcony.

The breeze outside felt good on Roxas's hot face. Taking a couple of deep breathes the blond could feel himself calm down. A small smile was plastered to the teens face. He couldn't help but be happy over Axel keeping his word and letting Roxas lead. It was a nice change of pace and Roxas couldn't help but admit he enjoyed being the dominate one.

Arms wrapped around the teen's waist, making him jump and turn to his attacker, "Axel?" He gasped, but that was as far as he got before the redhead kissed him. Hands grabbed at his hips and forced the blond back till he hit the stone guardrail, "What are you doing?" Roxas finally managed to ask when the taller man disconnected from his mouth to kiss up and down his neck.

"I'm not done." Was all Axel said in between his kissing, smirking when Roxas tilted his head a bit to give him more access.

Roxas hummed and let himself relax a bit, "You broke the deal. I said no touching." Yet he made no move to push Axel away from him.

Axel stopped and pulled away, still leaving his arms wound around the blond's waist, "I thought that was over." Confusion and fear crossed over the redhead's face. Roxas couldn't help but give a soft smile, to show he wasn't being serious, to calm the poor man down. Axel returned the smile and tightened his arms to pull Roxas closer, "Well I'm not done with you yet."

There was something in those hungry eyes that made the hairs on the back of the blond's neck stand up, but he didn't feel afraid, "I said I didn't want to go any farther." But he didn't make any move to pull away.

"Don't worry, I won't do anything you don't want." He didn't give Roxas a chance to reply and went back to kissing the blond, finally being able to control the kiss and properly taste Roxas. He let his hands roam over the blond, enjoying the dips and curves he wasn't able to explore earlier.

With a heave Roxas found himself perched on top of the railing. He gasped and tightly wrapped his legs around Axel's waist and desperately clenched onto the man's shirt so he wouldn't fall. He felt Axel's arms wrap tightly around his torso to make sure the blond would be safe.

Roxas moaned and pulled Axel closer when the man coaxed his tongue out to play. The two had gotten too wrapped into each other and refused to separate even for the smallest intake of air.

"Hey do you two mind? There's some innocent people down here!" They heard Sora yell from below.

With a groan Roxas pushed Axel away by just a fraction of an inch so he could look down at his brother, "Well, then maybe don't watch!" He yelled down. His hands tightening in Axel's shirt as vertigo took over his sight. He had to close his eyes and push back up so his face was pressed into Axel's collarbone. He felt a hand rub up and down his back as he pushed back the urge to vomit.

"Careful. Are you okay?" He heard the man mumble into his ear. It took all of the blond's strength to nod.

"Hey Rox? Are you okay?" Sora called with worry in his voice.

Axel put one hand on the back of Roxas's head to keep the teen in place so he could lean over a little bit to get a better view of Sora, "He's fine. I think he just got dizzy." He held Roxas closer so he could ease the blond off of the ledge, "Are you really okay?" He asked in a quiet voice as he cupped Roxas's face so he could look into the dark blue eyes.

Roxas nodded and pulled the hands off of his face, "I'm fine." He went back over to the rale and waved at his brother, "How's your training going?"

The brothers yelled a conversation back and forth until Fran got fed up with the noise and cut Sora's break short.

"How am I not done yet?" The brunet complained to the tall woman. Roxas couldn't hear Fran's reply but knew she was telling his brother to get back to work.

"I'll see you dinner!" The boys waved goodbye to each other before Sora jogged to catch up to the general.

~X~x~X~x~

Dinner was quiet that evening. The only sounds were chewing and the echo of silverware hitting plates. The youngest prince and king both seemed to be tense. Axel sat to Roxas's right, glancing between the blond and Ansem. He knew what the problem was. They needed to tell everyone about the plans for the ball in two weeks and about his and Roxas's departure soon after.

Not able to take the silence anymore he decided to speak up, "You're boys are very talented with swords. They're naturals." Axel praised to Terra and Ansem. The queen beamed with pride as she looked her embarrassed children over, "I hope they'll keep up the good work after I leave." In the corner of his eye Axel could see Roxas pout, obviously not liking the idea of leaving.

"Well I want to duel you next time I see you." Ventus chirped up, "I bet I'll be able to beat you."

Axel laughed through his nose, "Please kid, come talk to me in a couple of years of intense training."

"So that means I'll be able to beat you?" Sora asked as he played with the peas on his plate, not really in the mood to eat them.

"Maybe? We'll have to see next time I'm here or you're in Ignis."

Sora seemed satisfied with that and leaned back in his seat with a smirk on his face.

Roxas nibbled on a piece of chicken that was placed in front of him. He didn't really have an appetite. Making out with Axel for the better part of the afternoon helped distract him from thinking about leaving, but now he couldn't use the redhead like that while his whole family and a handful of servants were watching them.

"So, King Ansem," Axel directed his attention to the older man, "How big of a ball were you planning on having?"

"I sent out invitations to every kingdom offering them to send two representatives. I've also asked for your brothers and sister to come if they'd like." Ansem explained as he cut a chunk of food.

Terra let out a happy sigh, "I love parties. It's always a joy to see a room full of happy people. I don't even remember the last time we hosted such a large party."

"A few months ago for Roxas's and my birthday." Ventus reminded his mother, "Remember you invited all of the nobles and neighboring kingdoms?"

The queen seemed to brighten up at that, "Oh yes! And you two dressed in those matching outfits!" She turned to her husband, "Let's do that again."

"No!" Both Roxas and Ventus yelled at the same time, faces red from embarrassment from just remembering that night."

Ansem just shrugged, "Whatever you want dear." The king knew to never object to his wife's wants early on into their marriage.

Purple eyes looked over the twins as Terra thought about what they should wear. Then Axel caught her eye, "On second thought, we should have Axel and Roxas match. The ball is in their honor. Maybe Ven can wear the same thing as them but in a different color?" The queen frowned a bit, "But then that leaves poor Sora out."

"That's okay!" Sora blurted out, "I don't need to be a part of the group. I'm fine dressing in my normal formal clothes."

"And I don't need to match them either." Ventus added in, "The party isn't for me."

Roxas groaned and hid his face in his hands. He hated being forced to match just because he was a twin. People confused him for Ventus all the time as is, his mother really didn't need to make things harder by throwing in matching outfits.

"Maybe matching wouldn't be a good idea. But I wouldn't mind coordinating colors." Axel added in his two cents. He wasn't looking forward to wearing the same thing as Roxas.

Terra looked a little down at that, but not completely put off, "Well we still have a couple of weeks to plan. Let's see what that brings."


	16. The Man on Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update! I was busy all weekend and just couldn't find the time. But this is the second longest chapter so far so I hope that makes up for it :)
> 
> Also it was pointed out to me that this story started focused primarily on Roxas and it's slowly been shifting over to Axel. And I was wondering, does that bother anyone? Should I keep it like this or bounce back between the two or switch back to Roxas?
> 
> Please review and tell me what you think and what you'd like to see

The servants were running everywhere and shouting orders at one another all day as they set up for the grand party that would take place later that evening. Everything had to be in place and ready to go. Even the guests had started to arrive. Everything was in a loud chaotic mess that only came with last minute preparations.

Roxas was starting to feel overwhelmed, especially when his mother sent in a maid to help him get dressed in a complicated getup that involved a lot of tying, it was like he was almost in a corset. His shirt was pulled so tight that he could barely breathe. His pants were also a size or so too small, making it hard for him to bend at all. The cream coloring was also unflattering as it blended into Roxas's already fair skin. By the end of it, the blond just felt like he was a sculpture on display for the nobility that would be attending the party.

He paced around his room, trying to break his clothing in so he could take in a proper breath of air in and somehow managed to do it without getting light headed. He was on his tenth lap around the room when the door opened and Axel walked in. His clothes were black and while they clung to his shape, they were nowhere near as tight as Roxas's.

The redhead gave out a wolf whistle, "Looking good."

Roxas blushed at that. Over the last couple of weeks Axel had gotten more vocal with Roxas. Whether it was praising him over something he had done, or complementing his looks. And every time it had caught the blond off guard and flustered him.

"Th-thanks." He finally managed to stutter out, "And how did you get out of my mother's outfit choice?" He couldn't help the envy that dripped from his mouth. Here he was struggling to breath and Axel got to flaunt around looking handsome and majestic.

Axel's mouth turned into a devilish smile, "Let's just say there was a small incident with some fabric ripping."

Roxas tried to laugh at that, but the constriction on his chest wouldn't let him, "My mother's going to give you an earful at the ball." A cough rang through the teen's body as his torso was constricted. The almost healed wound on his chest burned with the effort.

Axel frowned and gently rubbed Roxas's back until the coughing stopped, "You okay? That doesn't look comfortable at all." He pulled at the shirt a bit, ignoring Roxas's grunts of pain. Long fingers pushed Roxas's coat off of his shoulders so he could tug at the laces on the teen's back, "Fuck, how tight are these?"

"I don't know. But you're making it worse." Roxas clutched at his chest as his shirt was pulled tighter than before. He felt the hand leave his back, only to be replaced with something sharp, "Axel," Roxas's voice came out shaky and full of uneasiness, "What are you doing?"

"Big breath in." The man said. Roxas did as he was told and almost let out a yelp when he felt a pointed tip rip up his clothes, "There. Is that better?"

Roxas watched with wide eyes as his shit fell in tatters around his feet, "Wha-?"

"Now let's see what else you can wear." Roxas turned just in time to see Axel slip a small dagger back into his boot before he walked towards the wardrobe to find Roxas something to wear.

"What the hell Axel!?" Roxas pulled the remains of the shirt off and followed the redhead, "Seriously, what were you thinking? And why do you just casually have a fucking dagger on you?"

Axel thumbed through Roxas's shirts, trying to find something that the blond could wear comfortably all day yet still seem formal, "I was thinking you could barely move and tried to fix it." He pulled out a white, long sleeved shirt that was covered in rhinestones, "Here put this on."

Roxas glared at Axel, but did as he was asked anyway. The hem reached his mid-thigh, covering what little his pants left to the imagination. Green eyes looked the teen up and down, his finger curled under his chin in thought, "It looks well enough. I don't think anyone will say anything to you about it."

Roxas groaned as he looked down at himself. True it didn't look bad, but he didn't want to listen to Terra complain at him the whole day over his now ruined shirt. And he knew if he blamed it on Axel that would only raise questions he did not want to answer.

"You still never told me why you have a weapon in your boot."

"What? This?" Axel bent down and pulled his dagger out, "You mean you don't keep something for protection on you at all times?"

Roxas looked taken aback by that, "That's so barbaric."

Axel should have gotten mad at that. What prince who was taught to protect himself wouldn't be? Instead he just snorted, "Well then I guess I'll just have to make a barbarian out of you yet." He twirled the dagger so he was gently holding the flat side of the blade and offered the handle to Roxas, "Here, it's yours."

Tentative fingers reached out and gently traced the flame breathing demon design on the handle. On the end was a large ruby that gave off a glow in the light, "Mine?" Blue eyes looked up into Axel's face.

"Yours." He released the dagger, watching as Roxas turned it around in his hands, fixed on the integrate design and the gem, "It should have been yours for a good month now. It's tradition in my family for the husband to give the wife a weapon blessed by Ifrit for protection when the husband isn't around to do it." Axel looked away and scratched at an imaginary itch on his chin, "I kinda kept it when our priestess gave it to me before our wedding night. It's an upgrade from my last one."

Roxas wanted to tell Axel off because he was not a wife, but he was in awe over how eloquent the dagger looked, "So how long were you going to wait 'til you gave it to me?" He gave the redhead an accusing look.

Axel looked pretty indifferent to the question, "I don't know. I was hoping that you would never find out and I could just keep it."

Roxas studied the dagger a moment longer then handed it back to the redhead, "I don't need it. You keep it."

"Nope. It's yours now. I can always get myself a new one once we get home."

"Okay, if you're sure." Roxas awkwardly stood there with the dagger in hand, not knowing what to do next. He was about to slide the sharp object into his boot but was stopped by Axel.

"Don't do that. You'll cut yourself. Here." Axel knelt down and fiddled with his own boot until he pulled out a small sheath, "If you just put it in your boot you're going to get cut." He pulled Roxas's pant leg up a bit so he could tie the sheath around the blond's lower calf so it was hidden inside his boot. Once satisfied he placed the dagger in it, "There you go. Nice and safe." He patted Roxas's calf and stood up again.

The blond shook his leg a bit as he tried to get used to the new added weight and feeling of something strapped to him, "Thank you." He said in a quiet voice. A small smile graced his face as he looked up at Axel, "You really didn't have to."

Axel felt his heart speed up, "You're welcome."

"Well isn't this heartwarming." A new voice said, effectively ending said heartwarming moment.

"Reno!?" Axel sputtered. He couldn't help the large smile that split across his face at the sight. He left Roxas's side to give the older redhead a hug, "When did you get here?"

"A few minutes ago. I may or may not have mistaken Prince Ventus for Roxas." Reno laughed at that.

Roxas gave the redhead a suspicious look, "What did you do?"

Reno rubbed the back of his head with a guilty look on his face, "Just a harmless noogie. You know like a 'hey new brother how are you' type of thing. I think I might have scared him though." The man's words trailed off towards the end as he thought about the small blond's reaction. Ventus had screamed bloody murder at being grabbed at behind and elbowed Reno pretty hard in the gut. It only took a couple of seconds for the guards to be on him, pulling him away from Ventus, "But he's fine. Everything's fine."

"Okay?" Roxas didn't fully trust the man on that, but he could always ask his twin about it later.

Axel laughed along with Reno, all the while making a mental note to talk with Fran. Maybe Sora and Ventus needed to learn how to not be so oblivious, even when in the comfort of their own home. Maybe blindfolding the boys and attacking them with sticks would help them learn how to listen for approaching enemies. A small snicker escaped the younger redhead at the thought of the princes' running around the training field blindfolded and screaming at their attackers.

Reno raised a curious eyebrow at that, "What's up little bro?"

"Oh nothing. Just thinking about something I need to set up before we leave."

Again Roxas got a depressed look on his face at the mention of leaving. He didn't think he would ever be ready to go back to Ignis. Yes he was on much better terms with Axel and was no longer afraid to be alone with him anymore, but that didn't mean he was ready to leave his home kingdom with little chance of returning. And his family coming to visit wouldn't be the same as living with them. Then a dark thought crossed his mind. What would he do without Ven? He had never been away from his brother for a whole day, let alone have hundreds of miles between them.

"Rox? Are you okay?" Axel quietly asked. He gently wiped away a tear that had started its way down the blond's cheek.

"What's wrong little bro in-law?" Reno was quick to join his brother and try to comfort the upset prince. He didn't know what to do without overstepping any boundaries with Axel though and ended up just hovering with a worried look plastered on his face. If he somehow broke Axel's spouse he'd never hear the end of it from their father.

Roxas pulled away from Axel's touch and wiped at his face until it was dry, "I'm fine." He sniffed, "Nothing's wrong. Why don't you two go catch up. I'll see you at the party."

"If you're sure." Axel held Roxas's eye for a moment to make sure it really was okay to go and that he wasn't leaving the blond in misery. Roxas gave the redhead a weak smile and nodded his head. He was upset, that much was obvious, but he just wanted to be alone. And he could see how happy Axel was at seeing his older brother.

With Roxas's silent permission Axel grabbed Reno by the arm and dragged him out of the room. They dodged around maids and other guests as they went.

"So what's wrong with your little wife?" Reno finally asked when they were out of ear shot, "He seemed really upset. We're you fighting or something before I came in? Because to be honest from what I saw it looked totally different."

"Shut up Reno." Axel said with a sideways glare to his brother, "We weren't fighting. In fact things have been going pretty well between us."

"Yeah?" The older redhead actually sounded pretty surprised at that, "So you're on friendly terms now, or…" He left the end of his sentence hanging.

"Or." Was all Axel said. He picked up his pace so Reno couldn't see his face.

"Really? That's great!" The older prince slapped the younger on the back, "But just keep it on the down low from Dad. I know the marriage was partly his idea, and while Kairi and I completely support you, you know dad will freak. You know how crazy he can get when it comes to the word of Ifrit."

"If our father didn't want anything to happen between me and Roxas, then why did he take Xion away from me and promise King Ansem that I wouldn't have any concubines or be with another woman while married to Roxas?" Axel was generally confused at this. It just didn't make sense. Not to mention Xehanort was the one who pushed his son into raping the young blond shortly after their wedding.

"Axel," Reno's voice was cold and serious for once. That couldn't be good, "You know Dad loves you right?" He didn't talk again until he saw Axel nod his answer, "But he also has a kingdom to look out for. If he refused King Ansem's request then it couldn't have ended well. Sometimes putting your child's happiness on the line to benefit the kingdom as a whole is the best thing to do."

Axel set his jaw and glared ahead of him, "You know you're starting to sound like a king or something." He managed to growl out.

"Yeah, or something." Reno grinned, "You know there's more to ruling than just war. Sometimes you have to make tough decisions that not everyone will be happy with. This just happens to be one of those times."

"What kind of time?" Vanitas walked up to his brothers with a bored look on his face. It was obvious he really didn't care about their conversation and was just looking for something to do.

Reno couldn't help the smile on his face, "It seems our brother here somehow won the little Lamina prince's heart."

Axel blanched at that, "Not his heart." He shook his head, "Not really. We're just on better terms than we were when we left Ignis."

Reno pressed his lips together and sized his brother up, "I don't think that's all that's happened. You seem different."

Vanitas tilted his head and studied the younger of the redheads, "You know, I think he's right. You don't seem as angry as you usually do."

Axel snorted and waved his younger brother off, "I can say the same for you. Have you finally gotten yourself a concubine or something?" Usually Vanitas would be sulking around in the shadows and ignoring everyone. He would never willingly approach someone and start a conversation. Of course Axel's go to explanation for it would be that he was getting laid.

Vanitas's grin turned almost predatorial, "Something like that, yeah."

"Wow Vani, I didn't know you actually convinced someone to touch you like that." Reno snorted, "She must be one desperate bitch."

Axel laughed and nudged the younger prince, "Her? Please I don't know how he even managed to get the guts to touch another human. Let alone a woman. This kid is as social as a cactus."

The two redheads continued to poke fun at their younger brother, neither one noticing how angry Vanitas was getting with every word. It wasn't until the young raven haired prince was red in the face and his fists clenched so hard that they turned white did Vanitas turn on his heel and waked away without a word.

"Maybe we were a bit too harsh?" Axel asked as he started to walk down the halls again.

"Nah, he's just too sensitive." Both redheads snorted at that. Vanitas had no emotion to speak of.

~X~x~X~x~

Music softly played in the background, calling the guests to come dance to its beat on the dance floor. Champagne and wine glasses were handed out left and right to keep the visiting royals happy and bubbly.

True to Ansem's word, it was a relatively small party. Every kingdom had one or two people there to represent them, and only a handful of Lamia's nobility had come. The ball room wasn't crowded in the least bit, leaving ample room for guest to mingle and do as they pleased.

Roxas stuck to the edge of crowd. He had greeted everyone at the beginning of the party, and now he was ready to go back to his room and sleep until it was time to leave. Or maybe even longer. His eyes scanned the dance floor, catching the sight of Axel waltzing his baby sister across the floor. The redhead looked so happy being with his family again. Was Axel depressed about leaving his family behind a couple of months ago?

Kairi peeked up over Axel's shoulder and locked eyes with the anti-social blond. The princess pulled herself up on her tip toes so she could whisper something in his ear. Axel turned them around so he was now facing Roxas. Kairi pulled away from her brother with a parting kiss on the cheek before going off to find a new dance partner.

Axel approached Roxas with a hand on his hip, "So you creeping in the background? Come on it's your party, go have some fun. Drink a little."

"I'm not much for parties." Roxas admitted.

"Are you sure that's all there is?" The redhead sounded concerned. He reached out to rub up and down Roxas's arms in an attempt to get rid of some of the poor blond's tension.

"Its just-" Roxas bit his lip and forced himself to look up into Axel's eyes, "How did you feel when we left Ignis and after we arrived here?"

"It was lonely at first. But helping your brothers with their training gave me some social interaction and something to do to pass the time." He couldn't help the warm smile that crossed his face, "And then you stopped acting like a victim and actually tried to be friends. That helped a lot."

"Yeah?"

"Roxas, I know you'll miss your family and friends here, but you'll always have me. Got it memorized?" He sighed and released the small blond, "I know it's not much, but it's more than what I had coming here. Plus you'll have Kairi and I'm sure Xion will love you just as much too. Trust me you'll have more friends than you know what to do with while we're there."

Roxas couldn't help the shiver that ran down his back or the grimace that his face twisted into. Maybe it had to do something with his mother wanting him to sleep with the girl to give her grandchildren, or the fact that she used to be Axel's concubine. Was he jealous? Was that what that burning sensation in his heart was?

"What's with that face?" Axel frowned and crossed his arms as he studied the blond. Was it something he said?

Roxas shook his head, "It's nothing. Do you want to dance?" He suddenly said to change the conversation. He didn't want to be analyzed at the moment. He didn't wait for Axel's response as he dragged him to the dance floor.

Axel willing let himself be lead to the edge of the floor. He wrapped one arm around the blond's slim waist and held Roxas's hand with the other. Roxas reached up and grabbed the taller man's shoulder, letting himself be led across the room. They managed to blend in with all of the other dancing couples and set a nice pace.

"So you're enjoying the ball I take it." Roxas said as he rested his head on Axel's chest.

Axel guided them towards the other side of the floor, sweeping passed the men and women who wanted to extend their congratulations and happy wishes onto the honored couple, "It's what you make of it. So I'm having fun by trying to have fun. Why don't we get you nice and drunk after this huh? That might loosen you up a bit." He didn't want to tell the blond that he had already had a few glasses of wine himself and was feeling pretty damn good.

Roxas lifted his head so he could rest his chin on Axel's sternum. He looked up at the man at an awkward angle, "I don't want to get drunk. I want to get away from annoying noblemen for a bit and get some fresh air."

"I think I can arrange that." Axel smiled down on the teen. He looked around the room. The dance floor ended right by a large, glass door that led to the gardens. And to their luck it was left open to let in the summer night air. With all the grace and stealth he knew, Axel managed to get them closer to the door without raising any suspicion. The two managed to slip out unnoticed.

Roxas let out a sigh of relief and released Axel, "Ah that feels better." Roxas leaned into the gentle breeze. He suddenly felt at ease now that he wasn't stuck in a stuffy room surrounded by people. He turned back to Axel and intertwined their fingers, "Come on, let's get out of here. They won't miss us." He pulled Axel away from the castle and towards the hedge maze where no one would find them. Or so he hoped.

The two ran around the twists and turns until they thought they had gotten lost. Alone under the silver, full moon as their only source of light the two embraced. Roxas wrapped his arms around Axel's waist and the redhead mimicked him.

"Mmm….this is nice." Roxas hummed as he looked up at the redhead, "Thank you for getting me out of there."

Axel chuckled as he ran his fingers through soft, blond spike, smiling when Roxas leaned into the touch and closed his eyes completely relaxed, "Of course. You know I'll always be here for you right? If you ever need something just tell me okay?"

Roxas opened his eyes and took Axel in. The moonlight darkened his hair to almost a blood red. His green eyes almost seemed to glow in a hypnotizing way. The blond unconsciously licked his lips as he looked at Axel's. He felt Axel's fingers tighten in his hair, but it wasn't painful. The redhead angled Roxas's head so their lips were centimeters apart.

"Release my prince!" A gruff voice called out followed by the sound of a sword getting unsheathed.

Roxas pulled away from Axel with a surprised gasp. Scared blue eyes saw a shadowy figure, the glint of a sword shined in the moonlight, "Basch?" He heard Axel say above him and a protective arm wrap around him, "What's going on."

"I'll say it once more. Release the youngest prince of Lamina or I will run you through." The general readied his weapon at the redhead.

"General Basch," Roxas said in the most authoritative voice he could despite how frightened he was by the general's erratic behavior, "What is the meaning of this?" The blond tried to take a step forward but was violently yanked back by Axel and tossed into a large bush. It was a good thing too because the sword came swinging towards where he stood and nicked Axel in the arm, cutting his shirt in the process.

Axel hissed at the contact and stumbled backwards, "Have you gone mad?" The prince yelled as he dodged another attack that was aimed at his chest.

"Stop it!" Roxas yelled as he tried to climb out of the bushes only to get one of his long sleeves tangled in the branches and thorns. He growled low in his throat as he tried to rip his arm free, but to no avail.

"As a general in the Lamina army it is m duty to protect the royal family from any danger or evil that threatens them." Basch went to attack again, but missed Axel by millimeters.

"Evil? What are you talking about? Axel's my husband. Now stop this nonsense." Roxas yelled from where he was trapped. He tried even harder to free himself only to get a pant leg stuck.

Basch let out a bark of laughter, "Ignis is evil. Your marriage is nothing more than a way for Xehanort to get a man into our borders and close to the king. I'd hate to admit it, but King Ansem was a fool and made a mistake. But I plan on fixing that before this scum has a chance to corrupt this kingdom any longer and win this war."

"The war is over! I don't mean any harm to your kingdom." Axel said as he barely managed to get out of the way of getting a blade to the face. He reached to his hip, only to realize a moment too late that he didn't arm himself before the party started. It went against his basic training. Worry and nervousness pumped through his veins as he tried to think of how to get away while keeping Roxas safe, "Stop!" He yelled, throwing his hand in front of his face to block a well-placed attack.

But the hit never came. Axel opened his clenched eyes and gasped at what he saw. Between him and Basch's sword was a wall of flames.

"Sorcery?" Basch pulled away to reassess the situation.

Axel pulled his hand back, a whip of flames following the motion and catching a wall of the maze on fire. Roxas gasped as the maze slowly lit up. He struggled harder to free himself, but the more he pulled the tighter it seemed the branches held him, "Axel!" He called out. Worry lacing his words. He wanted to be freed and away from the crazy general and fire.

Axel could feel his heart race as he thought of how to get away. If he could get Basch to stop attacking him and give him enough time to free Roxas, then they could run for it. But even if they managed to get away from the general he couldn't remember which way they had come from. And with the fire getting bigger and bigger as time ticked by it would be fatal to run in the wrong direction.

"Sir!" Two silhouettes ran up from behind Basch. Soldiers who worked under the delusional general if Axel had to guess. They positioned themselves behind their general, weapons out and ready in case Axel tried to flee.

The situation wasn't going too well. The flames grew brighter and bigger as Axel's anxiety grew, "Basch!" He called over the roar of the flames, "Can't you see you're putting your prince in danger? Please just leave us. I mean you no harm. My father has no ill will towards Lamina."

The blond general took his eyes off of Axel for a moment to glance at his trapped prince. He made a vague hand signal to one of the soldiers behind him and pointed to Roxas. The soldier nodded in understanding and went to the prince's aid. Roxas pulled away from the hand. Yes he wanted to be freed, but not by some crazy man whose intentions weren't completely clear.

Axel growled as he watched the man reach for his husband. The redhead saw sparks flash out of nowhere. A tendril of fire formed and lashed out at the soldier, wrapping around the man's neck. It pulled the screaming soldier away from Roxas as it ate away at the man's flesh. The man screamed as his flesh burned. His body was quickly eloped in flames, even when his screams of pain stopped the fire still burned around his body and crawled up the hedge a few feet away from Roxas.

Axel tore his eyes away from the decaying corps when he heard Roxas whimper. Green eyes widened at the sight of Roxas tangled in branches and flames surrounding him. The redhead reached out for the younger prince, but froze when he saw sparks dance off the tips of his fingers. He couldn't touch the blond or risk incinerating him just like the nameless soldier.

"You monster." Basch growled through the smoke, "I knew you were nothing but a killer." He went to strike again but was stopped by another shield of flames. The fire seemed to grab at the weapon and crawl down the blade until it engulfed all the way down to the hilt. The general yelped and dropped the sword from the heat. His palms burnt and steaming.

Axel picked up the abandoned sword and turned it on Roxas. He ignored the general's yells for him to stop and slashed at the bush. Roxas grunted as he fell onto ground. He panted as he tried to catch some air that wasn't tainted with smoke and ash. He coughed as he pushed up onto his feet.

"Are you okay?" Axel asked. He wanted to reach out and check the blond over for any injuries, but he was too afraid of burning him.

Roxas coughed again, "Yeah. We need to get out of here." He reached out to grab Axel by the arm, but pulled back with a yelp when the man's skin burnt him.

Axel cursed, "Don't touch me. Just get out of here." He turned back to Basch and pointed the sword at the man's throat, stopping the general from moving and running after the blond. The other soldier was frozen in place, too afraid to end up like his comrade to do anything, "Get up." He growled once Roxas was out of sight. Basch did as he was told, a sick smile on his face.

"We'll wipe you're cursed blood line off the face of the planet." The general said. Axel was about to ask what Basch meant, but was stopped by a loud, female scream.

"Kairi!" Axel yelled. Suddenly capturing Basch was the last thing on the redhead's mind. He ran passed the man and his soldiers through the maze. He didn't know where he was going, but relied on his gut instinct to remember the right direction to the entrance.

What he found in the garden was madness.

Soldier clashed against soldier. It looked like no one knew who was on their side or not and randomly swung their weapon of choice. Kairi was cowering, cornered with no form of protection. Axel cursed, he was about to run over to save her from the attackers, but Sora was quick to defend.

The brunet stood in front of the scared princess. He swung his sword in an ark, knocking a soldier to their ass. Ventus was soon at his brother's side to help. The two were able to hold their own against the sea of trained warriors. If Axel's heart wasn't pounding in his chest as he tried to figure out what was happening he would have been proud of them. Their training and quick learning skills were really paying off.

Reno looked pretty useless. Every time he would engage in a fight his adoring fiancée would come in and stick a well-placed knife in the soldier's back between the armor's gap. Before the stunned soldier knew what was happening the woman would prance away while cackling, on the lookout for her next target.

Ansem stood at the entranceway of his castle flanked by his elites. The king barked orders to capture the traitors. He wanted them dead. He would not tolerate such insubordination during a celebration. His sword pointed in every direction as he shouted orders to the troops who hadn't turned on him.

"Axel?" A small voice said. Green eyes looked over and saw Roxas. The burning maze behind the blond emphasized his ash covered body. His hair was singed at the ends and his clothes were still smoking as embers died out on the hems, "What's going on?" He reached out for Axel, but pulled back when he remembered what had happened last time. The action alone made the redhead's heart sink.

Axel clenched his fist, fire wrapping around the appendage and crawling up his wrist, "It looks like General Basch didn't trust the treaty and decided to take eliminating the enemy in his own hands along with some of his troops."

"Axel!" Vanitas ran towards his brother but stopped short. His golden eyes glued on Axel's hand. His mouth hung open in an unspoken question.

A scream ripped behind the raven haired, "I thought you knew better than to get distrac- Holy shit Axel what's wrong with your hand!?" Vanitas glanced behind him and saw Reno dropping the now dead soldier that had snuck up behind him. The eldest redhead's face in pure shock as he looked at Axel.

"I don't know. I can't turn it off!" Axel shook his hand to emissive.

The brothers and Roxas both gawked at him, "Turn it off?" Reno and Vanitas yelled at the same time.

Roxas screamed when he felt someone pull him back, taking everyone's attention off of Axel's glowing hand. He tried to fight back but was stopped by a strong arm pinning his arms to his sides, "Don't panic. I'm just going to escort you away from these savages."

Axel glared daggers at Basch. The general had managed to make it out of the maze alive. His skin was burnt and his clothing fried. The man had come out alone meaning the solider that had went to back the general up met a more tragic fate.

Roxas grunted as he violently tossed his body to one side, hoping it would catch Basch off guard. But it didn't. The man's grip on him only tightened.

"Roxas." Axel growled as he looked for a weapon. He cursed that Reno and Vanitas had gotten caught up in their own battles, taking their swords with them. The redhead silently cursed again. He didn't want to use fire. Roxas was too close to Basch and Axel still wasn't quite sure how to use it. The last thing he wanted to do was burn Roxas.

As Axel stood there useless as he tried to figure out a way to save the blond. Roxas kicked Basch in the shin, making the man yelp, and bringing his knee closer to hip. Just close enough for him to grab his dagger out of the boot and stab the man in the thigh.

Basch released Roxas with a cry of pain just as Sora came flying at him, "Don't touch my baby brother!" He knocked the man to the ground and planted his foot on the general's chest to keep him in place with his sword poking into the thin skin of his throat.

Roxas ran towards Axel, sliding his dagger back in his boot once he reached the redhead. He immediately felt safer at the man's side. In the corner of his eye Roxas saw Princess Aqua swoop in and grab Kairi. The blunet managed to get the younger princess back inside the palace before any of the traitor soldiers could grab the wine haired girl.

"Father!" Sora called out, "I have the ring leader!" All action seemed to freeze at the heir's words. The traitor soldiers backed off and ran off knowing their leader was no longer of use to them and their cause had been foiled. They most likely had their own men on guard duty so slipping out of the citadel would be an easy task.

"After them! Don't let any escape!" The king commanded his soldiers and elite alike. The troops ran after with a loud battle cry, leaving behind the nobles and a handful of loyal troops to stand guard in case any rebels came back.

"Are you okay now?" Roxas grabbed onto Axel's sleeve and sighed in relief at the cool touch of fabric. The man wasn't burning anymore, "You're fine." He rested his forehead on the man's shoulder, "You're fine." He kept saying it like a mantra.

Axel could feel the blond shake as he was clung to. He was supposed to be the one protecting Roxas, yet he wasn't able to anything but stand around and put Roxas into even more danger, "Yeah, I'm fine. Are you hurt?" He pulled Roxas so the blond was standing in front of him. The redhead started to check the prince over for any wounds but was stopped by two hands framing his face.

"They wanted to kill you." Roxas traced under Axel's eyes with his thumbs, "You could have died because you're evil." Blue eyes sparkled with tears as he continued to watch the older man's green eyes, "But you're not..." The last few words came out in a whisper.

Basch laughed from a few feet away, still pinned to the ground, "You'll all die from the hands of the Ignis prince!" He turned his head, ignoring the bite of the blade, and spit out some blood, "You call me traitor now, but soon you'll come to regret not listening."

"Shut up." Sora growled as he pushed the blade deeper until a shallow pool of blood appeared. An elite `guard came up to the small group and hauled General Basch away to the dungeons before he could cause any more damage.

Roxas pulled his hands away from Axel's face only to tightly wrap them around the man's waist, pulling him into a tight hug. The blond hid his face in Axel's sternum, breathing in the heavy scent of ash and tea. His hands fisted into the back of Axel's black shirt like it was a lifeline. His small frame trembled as everything that had happened came crashing down on him.

"Okay seriously what the hell?" Reno ripped one of Axel's arms away from Roxas and pulled up the sleeve, "How did you do that?" He twisted the arm in his hands as he inspected it, "Were you just holding a short torch and my mind was playing tricks on me?"

"Reno, stop it." Axel pulled his arm away and wrapped it around Roxas to pull the shaken blond closer, "I'm not sure what happened. It just did. Can we just say it was an act of Ifrit and leave it be?" He felt Roxas slowly stop shaking, "Are you alright? Didn't get burned or anything?"

Roxas shook his head, "I'm fine. They weren't after me." He loosened his grip just enough so he could lean back and see Axel's face, "Why would Basch do this? He seemed fine when you two were working together to train Sora."

"I don't know. But he did usually fight me when I proposed different ways to work with your brother. Maybe he never really trusted me."

"Yeah, yeah that's nice and all, but what the fuck Axel!?" Reno threw his arms in the air, "How are you just shrugging off the fact that you burnt down the fucking garden with your bare hands!" He waved towards the hedge maze that was slowly burning out into a pile of ash.

"Because there's more important things to do right now." Sora interrupted as he walked over to the small group. He bowed low to the redheaded princes, "I am very sorry for the mess our troops have made. We would never wish harm on you or your family and hope that neither of you would think otherwise."

Reno slapped Sora on the back and made the younger prince stand up straight, "You and yours are good with us. We understand that this was a rouge attack. We got lucky this time and no one was injured too badly." The redhead winced at the damage done to the garden, "Sorry about the hedges though."

Sora glanced over at the ruined maze and shrugged, "Minor causality. Now come on, let's get inside so we can get you all examined. Maybe you just don't feel any injuries because of adrenalin."

The small group made their way back inside the palace. Axel had a bit of a hard time seeing as how Roxas refused to let go of his midsection and was almost deadweight. But he somehow managed to make it to the infirmary.

There they found a worried looking Vanitas. The young prince was pacing around the main area biting his nail. His golden eyes looked up when the small party arrived, "Naminé passed out." He quickly said before going back to his pacing.

"Queen Naminé." Reno corrected as he slapped his baby bother on the back of the head for showing someone of higher rank such disrespect, "And why does that have you so worried? Did you have something to do with it?"

"What? No!" Suddenly Vanitas was defensive, "I was just the one who found her so I'm taking responsibility for her wellbeing."

Axel raised a brow to that, but decided to ignore his brother for the moment. He wanted to know if his baby sister was alright, "Vanitas, where's Kairi? Did you try to find her before you found Queen Naminé?"

"No, don't worry about your beautiful baby sister. I'm sure she'll forgive you on her death bed." A sarcastic Kairi said as she stepped out of a room with Aqua close behind, "I'm fine by the way." She clipped out. She turned to look at the older princess, "Thank you for getting me out of there and making sure I was okay."

"No problem. It's the least I can do for my future sister in-law." Aqua's words were clipped and slightly bitter. Axel squinted at the woman, something was off, "I should get going. Have a good night." She bowed to her hosts and took off to her room.

Kairi let out a low sigh as she watched Aqua leave, "Is it bad that Princess Aqua treats me better than her brother?" Her wide eyes turned to Reno, "I don't want to marry Terra. Do I really have to do it?"

"I'm afraid so. But it won't be that bad. I mean just look at Axel." He pointed at the younger redhead who was standing a few feet away. He was bent low so he could whisper soothing words into Roxas's ear, "Not even two months ago he would have never thought that he'd be in a same sex marriage let alone actually like his husband. But now he and Roxas seem to be getting along on a more than just friends basis. Maybe you'll luck out with Terra as well."

Kairi huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, "Doubtful. It's hard enough to get two words out of that guy let alone find some common ground."

"Prince Roxas?" A nurse said, "We have a room prepared for you. Please come this way." But Roxas wouldn't move. He clung to Axel and buried his face in the man's clothes. It was clear that he wasn't going anywhere without the redhead.

With a grunt Axel managed to get Roxas to the room. He sat down on the bench and pulled the blond onto his lap when it became apparent that Roxas wasn't going to sit on the exam bench alone.

The nurse came in and gave a small frown, "I'm sorry but Prince Axel you need to move so I can examine Prince Roxas more thoroughly."

Nodding in understanding Axel stood up taking Roxas along with him. He carefully untangled Roxas's fingers from his shirt and ignored the teen's whines of protest as he was sat back down. The nurse made quick work of stripping the blond of his shirt. The young woman grimaced at how filthy the teenager was, "I don't see any injuries at the moment." She touched the darkened skin to feel for anything, "I'd recommend you bathe and come back if you find anything. Okay?"

Roxas agreed and pulled his ruined shirt back over his head. Then it was Axel's turn to strip for his exam. The man's arms and chest were littered with cuts and dried blood, "I think you're going to need some stitches." The nurse muttered more to herself than Axel.

"Really?" The prince looked down on himself, "They don't look that bad. They're not even bleeding anymore. I think I'll be fine." Before the nurse could say anything else Axel had his shirt back on and was leaving the room with Roxas close behind, fist clenched to the back of the man's shirt.

People tried to stop Axel as he walked back to his room, but he didn't want to deal with any of it. The adrenalin in his body was completely gone, making him tired and on the verge of passing out. He practically kicked the door open and pushed Roxas in.

"Go take a shower. I'll warm up the bed." Axel couldn't help but laugh at that. Ha warm. Fire.

Roxas just whimpered and clung to the redhead tighter, "No."

Axel sighed and turned so he could face the blond, "Roxas." the older prince said in a scolding voice, "You need to take care of yourself."

"But I want to stay with you." The blond bit his lip and clenched his eyes.

That took Axel back a few notches. He thought Roxas was being so clingy due to shock, "Why? I'm a monster."

Roxas whined and wrapped his arms around the man, "No. We don't know what happened back there. And the important thing is that neither of us got seriously hurt." He frowned at that. He wished Axel would have gotten his wounds treated by the nurse.

"I am Roxas. I could have seriously hurt you. How do you not hate me?" Suddenly Axel didn't want Roxas to be touching him. What if he spontaneously caught on fire again?

Roxas looked up at him with the saddest puppy dog eyes Axel had ever seen, "Because you didn't mean to. You're not a monster. Hell Axel, you should have died!" His grip on the redhead tightened until his fists turned white, "If you didn't do that Basch could have easily killed you." Water started to prick at those blue eyes as Roxas tried to control his emotions, "You're not a monster. Basch is."

Axel lost his breath for a moment. He could feel Roxas start to tremble again as the blond thought about what had passed and what could have been if Axel couldn't suddenly wield fire. So that's why Roxas wanted to stay close, "Hey," He tilted the blond's face up, "You really need a bath. Why don't I join you?"

A faint smile started to spread on the prince's face, "Yeah. I think I'd like that."

Axel pulled the smaller prince off of him so he could slip the burnt shirt off of Roxas's body. Roxas didn't fight or protest as he was undressed. Once the blond was naked Axel started to work on his clothes, but was stopped by small hands. Roxas looked straight ahead as he undid the buttons on Axel's tight shirt. Once the fabric was fully open Axel pushed it off his shoulders as Roxas undid his pants and pushed those off as well.

Axel would have thought it would be weird to be standing naked in a room with another man, and Roxas thought he'd be more nervous and scared. But at the moment neither one cared.

The two walked hand in hand into the bathroom. Axel set up the shower to the right temperature and climbed in with Roxas. The blond stood under the hot spray. Clumps of dirt, twigs, and ash poured off the teen, turning the water by the drain jet black.

The blond hummed in contentment at the feeling of all the dead weight washing off of him. Axel grabbed a random bottle of shampoo and started to work it through short blond spikes. Roxas tilted his head back enjoying the feeling of his scalp getting a nice massage. Once his hair was clean and rinsed off Axel moved to cleaning Roxas's body.

His touch was hard enough to scrub off the grime, but soft enough that he wasn't hurting Roxas. Blue eyes slipped closed and Roxas hummed at the feeling of his body getting cleaned. It was almost like the stress of the day was being washed off of him.

Roxas opened his exhausted eyes and smiled up at the redhead as the shower sprayed on them. The blond placed his hands on Axel's bare hips and rested his chin on the man's chest. Axel smiled back at him softly, feeling just as tired from the day. He leaned down and kissed the blond's forehead as his own hands found themselves on Roxas own hips, "Ready to get out and go to bed now?"

Roxas nodded and let himself be pulled out of the shower. A large fluffy towel was thrown over his shoulders. Roxas and Axel quickly dried themselves off and went into the bedroom to get dressed. Axel slipped on a pair of boxers then helped Roxas slip into a loose pair of cotton pants.

They silently climbed into the large bed. Roxas curled up to the redhead, stealing the man's chest as a pillow. Axel curled an arm around the small teen, pulling him close. The two stayed like that for a while, "I'm sorry again, for worrying you." Axel quietly muttered.

Roxas shifted so he could look up at the redhead's face, "They didn't get to you and that's all that matters." He let out a heavy sigh, "And I'm sorry for my kingdom's nasty behavior. Your family didn't deserve any of this."

Axel pulled Roxas a little bit higher on the bed so he could properly kiss the blond on the forehead, "Hush about that. It was only a handful of soldiers. Nothing I can't handle."

"Yeah, but-" Roxas's protests were muffled by Axel pressing their lips together.

"I said hush. Sleep okay? You need it."

Roxas pouted at that but did as Axel asked and closed his eyes. Axel on the other hand didn't fall asleep as fast. The redhead stayed awake. He watched as Roxas's breathing evened out and the prince fell into a deep sleep.

He couldn't help the small smile that crept on his face. Roxas had been worried about him and didn't think he was a monster. Roxas, he was something special. Maybe, just maybe, Axel was starting to get more than just feelings for the younger prince.


	17. Journey Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it's been like 2 weeks! My computer decided it didn't want to work anymore so I'm writing this on my tablet now and I hated poking at the screen and all the auto-corrects so I ordered a bluetooth keyboard online and with holiday shipping it took it a while for it to get here. Thank god I managed to back everything up on my external hard drive before anything happened lol.
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> Also, I always forget to say this, but for a while now I've been updating my fanfiction.net profile with the different kingdoms and who the royalties are and what kingdom they belong to as they appear in the fic. I hope that helps anyone with any confusion. I know there's a lot of characters in this fic xD

Ansem shuffled papers around his desk as he waited for his guest to arrive. It was late but things had to be sorted out before dawn broke. After the night's affairs the old king was worried about the rocky treaty between his kingdom and Ignis.

A loud knock came from the door. Ansem told the guest to come in. Reno stepped in and closed the door, "King Ansem." He said with a respectful bow, "You summoned me?"

"Yes." The king coughed to clear his throat and stood up, "I would like to personally apologize for the travesties that took place this evening. I hope you know that none of this was my intention. All that was supposed to happen was a ball for your brother and my son. As heir of Ignis I would like to extend my feelings to you."

"Thank you." Reno bowed again, "But the one you should really be talking to is Axel. The attack was mostly focused on him. The rest of us were more or less a bonus for your general. But I understand why you'd want to talk to me. And trust me when I say I'll plead your case to my father. I'll personally make sure the treaty stays intact and that nothing gets blown out of proportion."

Ansem gave the prince a tired smile, "Thank you. It'd be a shame to see all of our hard work go to pieces over some ignorant soldiers who refuse to let go of a grudge."

"I completely agree Sir."

"Good. Good." The king sat down, "It's getting late and you need to leave early to get back to Ignis, so I won't keep you any longer. Have a pleasant night."

Reno bowed once more, "You as well Milord. Thank you for inviting us to the party and being such a gracious host." And with that the prince left the room.

Ansem was left in the room for a few more minutes. The dying candle light aiding him in last minute paperwork. He planned on retiring soon but was disturbed by another knock on his door. The king let out an annoyed groan before summoning the person in.

Axel walked in. His clothes were rumpled, thrown on absentmindedly so he wouldn't be walking through the halls in his underwear. His red hair was a disaster as it poked out in every direction.

"Prince Axel? What brings you here at such a late hour?" The king asked with a raised brow, "Shouldn't you be asleep by now?"

"I'll be fine. I wanted to talk to you about Roxas before we left." He paused and waited for Ansem to give him permission to continue.

The king looked worried for a moment, but was quick to hide it behind a blank mask, "Is there something wrong with him?"

"No. He was a bit shaken up but I managed to calm him down and get him to sleep." Axel noted that Ansem quickly relaxed at that, "I wanted to ask about one of your servants. Hayner actually. I noticed how close he and Roxas are and-"

"You don't need to worry. They're just friends and nothing more."

Axel stood there with his jaw hanging open as his sentence was interrupted. That wasn't something he'd expect the king to say, "I…I know. Actually I wanted to know if he could come with us back to Ignis."

Ansem frowned at that, "I'm sorry, but I can't do that."

"Why?" Axel all but yelled. He had to take a moment to calm himself down, "Why can't he be made as Roxas's personal servant? I want him to have a friend if he has to live in Ignis. I don't want Roxas to feel alone or isolated and I think Hayner coming along will prevent just that."

"Are you sure that's it? Aren't you worried that something more will happen?"

"No. I trust Roxas enough to know that nothing will happen." The bite in the redhead's voice had a slight accusing tone that was directed towards Ansem, "But I was thinking that since Roxas is leaving his whole life and family behind, he could use a childhood friend, and Hayner would be a good choice."

"I'm sorry Axel, but I can't do that." Ansem said in a firm voice. His decision final. Axel was a bit taken aback. He was about to argue his point on why it would be beneficial for Roxas's mental health. But Ansem spoke up again, "He may not act like it, but Hayner is a very important servant to us. We've been training him to be the next head chief of the palace since he was young. If we ship him out to be nothing more than a butler then that would have wasted not only time but resources for us. I understand Roxas is very close with him and I'm sorry he dragged you into this by having you ask me-"

"He didn't ask me. Roxas is asleep and has no idea that I'm here. I wanted to do this for him. He deserves to be happy and I think Hayner would be better suited at doing just that."

Ansem seemed to be studying the young prince in front of him, "I know you and Roxas had a rough start, but it seems like you two are smoothing things over marvelously. I don't think Roxas needs to use Hayner as a crutch anymore."

"Sir?"

Ansem folded his hands together on his desk and gave the prince a knowing look, "Why do you really want Hayner to go with you? Do you think you're not enough to make my son happy?"

"I know I'm not enough. Yes we've been getting along more lately, but Roxas is going to need more than me to keep him in the right mind. He's going to get depressed when we get to Ignis. He's losing everything and it's going to take more than me to fix it." Axel sadly admitted. He had known it was the truth for the past two weeks, but saying it out loud just made him feel worse.

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do. If you'd like I can get someone else to be Roxas's personal servant."

"No, it has to be Hayner. Since that's not possible may I make another suggestion?" Ansem stayed silent and let Axel continue, "You want him to be the next head chef of the castle, so why not have him visit the other kingdoms to add onto his culinary skills? That way he won't be going off route, but at the same time be able to at least see Roxas. Even if it is for a short time."

Ansem placed his chin on his folded hands and looked at a spot over Axel's shoulder as he thought, "Hmm…that may work. But I have to set it up with the other kingdoms first, so he can't go with you just yet. Is this an acceptable medium?"

"Yes that sounds wonderful. But can you do me one more favor?" He saw Ansem stiffen at the request and instantly felt bad. He was asking a lot from the king, "Can you make sure Roxas doesn't find out about this? I'd like for it to be a surprise."

Ansem nodded his head at that, "I think that's doable. But someone in your kingdom might say something, so I can't guarantee complete secrecy."

"That's all I can ask for then." Axel bowed, "Thank you for your time. Have a good night." The redhead left the room and headed back to his room. He opened the door and smiled at a still sleeping Roxas. He was a bit afraid that the blond would be up and raising hell trying to figure out where Axel had gone. But his fears seemed to be for nothing.

Trying to be as quiet as possible Axel stripped back down to his boxers and slipped back under the covers. He sighed in content at the feeling of being covered in the warmth of blankets and Roxas's body heat. He stilled when he felt the younger prince shift in his sleep, but the blond did nothing more than roll over and cling to Axel's torso.

Axel pulled the snoozing teen closer and settled himself back in for the night. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

~X~x~X~x~

The morning was filled with tears and snot. Roxas and Ventus were conjoined since the moment they woke up, clinging and not so silently crying about their displeasure of being separated. Sora stood off to the side. He was clearly upset, but not as much as Ventus. He had given Roxas a tight hug and threatened Axel with bodily harm if anything happened to his baby brother.

Roxas was misty eyed and his chest was tight. He didn't want to leave. With all of his things packed and put away in a large carriage, while all the guests said their goodbyes, everything feel so final. Would he ever come back to his home? Of course his family would come visit him, but would he be allowed to go visit them in return?

"I'll see you soon okay?" Ventus tried to reassure his younger twin even though his cheeks were wet with tears, "Don't get into any trouble without me."

"I won't." Roxas's voice was muffled by Ventus's shoulder as the twins hugged.

"You can visit whenever you want. The palace gates will always be open for you." Axel chimed in. It was getting late in the day and he was getting antsy to hit the road, as was all the other people that would be joining them.

Prince Marluxia, the eldest prince and heir of the Hibernis throne, was also the older brother of Queen Naminé and their little brother Prince Hope. The Pink haired prince and Naminé were quietly talking and catching up before they went their separate ways. Marluxia would be joining Roxas and the Ignis siblings, traveling south, while Naminé would be heading back to Tacet which was up north.

Also joining the small caravan would be Larxene since Mulier laid between Hibernis and Ignis. Reno seemed to be happy enough with the situation and busied himself with saddling up his horse so it could comfortably fit him and his fiancée for at least a few hours of their long trek.

"We really should be going. It'd be nice to make it half way through Hibernis by night fall." Axel pointed out.

Roxas frowned, "I guess you're right." But the way he clung to Ventus said otherwise.

"I'll see you soon." The older blond was the first to pull away and kiss Roxas on the cheek, "Now get out of here before you're forcefully removed." He nudged his head in Axel's direction. He knew how badly the redhead wanted to get home, "Mom and Dad will probably want to see you before you two take off." He gently pushed Roxas in the direction of their parents.

Terra wrapped her arms around her baby, "I'm going to miss you." She whined as she squeezed the air out of Roxas, "I never thought I'd see the day when one of my children would leave. I always thought they'd bring me home a nice princess or lady." She pulled away and lifted Roxas's chin with her index finger so he was looking up at her, "You be good for Xehanort okay? Don't cause any problems and make me and your father worry."

"Yes Mom." The blond sighed. He looked over to his father. Ansem wasn't much for words and it seemed like today was no exception. The king stood stoic behind his wife and just looked at his son. Roxas was doing his duty as a prince and Ansem knew that was all there was to it. He had no reason for tearful goodbyes.

Sora came out of nowhere and pulled his little brother from their mother's grasp, "Its okay Rox. We'll be reunited real soon. Ven and I will come visit as often as we can. And maybe you can get permission from King Xehanort to come back here every once in a while." The brunet tried to cheer up his brother, but it didn't seem to work.

"Okay Sora." Roxas tried to smile, but just couldn't, "I guess I'll see you soon then. Bye." He got one more hug from his brothers and mother before Axel escorted him to the carriage he would be riding in with Kairi.

"I'll be right outside if either of you need me just stick your head out and holler." The redhead affectionately patted his baby sister on the head and kissed Roxas on the cheek before closing the door and heading to Zephyr who was saddled up and ready to go.

Kairi couldn't help but smile at Roxas. Her face was contorted into a goofy look as she excitedly bounced in her seat. Finally her giddiness was getting the best of her and she couldn't help but spill her thoughts, "You and my brother are just too cute together and I've been praying since the day you left that things would work out and OH MY GOD YOU GUYS ARE JUST ADORABLE!" She all but screeched out the last part, making Roxas flinch at the volume. The princess blushed at her outburst and looked away from Roxas, "Sorry, but how you two left Ignis I was really worried about you both, well mostly you, but now that things seem to be working out so I can sleep tonight."

Roxas slouched lower into his seat. Great now Kairi was probably try to gage just how far he had gone with Axel. The carriage jerked as the small group of royalty and soldiers took off. It was going to be a long trip.

"So…" Kairi drawled out, "How's my brother in bed?"

Roxas felt his eyes bug out of his head in shock, "K-Kairi!" He managed to gasp out. He didn't know she would be that blunt. Maybe beat around the bush but never say anything out right, "He's…We're…I don't know okay?" He looked out the window and tried to collect himself, "We're not there yet." He managed to say more calmly than he expected, "And I don't even know how I feel about him."

Kairi pouted, "Sure didn't look that way last night."

Roxas was tempted to stick his head out the window and call for Axel to come save him from the deranged woman, but that would only farther Kairi's eccentric imagination, "He was attacked by a skilled general and was unarmed. He could have died. Sorry I was scared."

"You were scared about losing him." Kairi clarified, "And that's completely justified. I don't know how you two made it out alive to be honest. You were trapped between fire and blade."

It was then that Roxas realized that the only people who knew about what Axel did was himself, Reno, Vanitas, and Basch. The power made Axel feel like a monster. Maybe it wasn't Roxas's place to tell Kairi, "We got lucky that Reno and Vanitas found us in time. Axel was in pretty bad shape by the time they got there." The blond looked down at his hands with a frown, "He did all that he could to protect me. Even if it meant that he got hurt. Fucking idiot, Basch didn't want anything to do with me."

Kairi just gave Roxas a gentle smile, "That just goes to show how much he cares for you. I've known Axel my whole life and believe me when I say he doesn't warm up to people fast. And the fact that he was willing to put himself in danger for you after only knowing each other for a month is a very big deal."

Roxas blushed, "How are things going between you and Prince Terra?" He asked in a lame attempt to change the subject.

The princess frowned, "Not good. I've been engaged to him for the better part of a year and I barely know the man. He's very withdrawn and doesn't really bring much into a conversation. I bet you know more about Axel than I do Terra."

Roxas was quiet as he thought about what Kairi had said. Did he really know Axel? He knew the man was a good kisser. That he was a skilled warrior. But what else? He didn't know any of the small things that one would quickly learn at the beginning of a relationship. Like what was the man's favorite food and color? What was his relationship with his family like? What did he like to do in his free time? The blond sighed. He really didn't know anything about his husband.

"I don't think I do. "

~X~x~X~x~

The small party was edging towards the end of Lamina by the time the sun was at its highest point and no one had any intentions of stopping yet. The royals that decided to ride on horseback stayed in a close knit group towards the back so they could talk without their guards over hearing, with the exception of Vanitas who rode a head of them so he could talk war stories with some of the soldiers.

"That was some party." Larxene laughed as she leaned back into Reno's chest, "I can't remember the last time I got to fight with assassins."

Reno rolled his eyes as he steered his horse with one hand and had his free arm wrapped around the blonde's midsection, "Those weren't assassins. They were soldiers who were willing to betray their king for a stupid cause their general made up."

The woman waved her hand dismissively, "Same difference."

Axel frowned at the woman, "Huge difference. If it was a trained assassin then we wouldn't exactly know who was targeting us. But since the attackers were a part of the military Father can accuse Ansem of attempted murder."

"And the whole treaty and marriage would be for nothing." Reno concluded. They rode in silence again until Reno couldn't take it any longer, "So Marluxia, how's your sister? I wasn't able to check on her condition before we left."

Marluxia's smile seemed to have grew even larger, "I'm surprised Queen Terra didn't insist on having a small party about it. My sister is finally with child." The man said with a laugh, "Her fainting was just due to hormones and the stress of traveling. The general and his men attacking didn't help her much. But she and the baby are fine."

"That's good." Axel said, "King Cloud seemed to be a bit anxious about not producing an heir yet. Maybe now he can calm down some." The group settled into a comfortable silence but the young redhead felt the need to cause some mischief, "Speaking of heirs, when are you going to produce some Reno?"

Both Reno and his betrothed startled at that and gave Axel identical shocked looks, While Reno just looked scared and disturbed by the question, Larxene paled before blushing and turning away so she was facing forward again, "It's rude to ask a woman of nobility such a thing before she's married." She chided, "When are you going to spit some brats out?" The Lady spat back the question.

Axel didn't seem fazed at all by the question, "You'd think the fact that I'm married to another man would give you your answer. But I don't know. Queen Terra gave me her permission to lay with Xion in order to have a child as long as Roxas was given the same opportunity." The news seemed to shock the small group but Axel just shrugged it off. It's not like he would go through with it. Kids weren't really his thing.

"Wow really?" Reno asked, "I didn't know they were that desperate to continue the blood line. Is Sora not having any luck with securing a lady of the court or at least someone from a neighboring kingdom to secure an alliance?"

"Why would they need to make any kind of alliances? The whole point of my marriage to Roxas was to make it so we wouldn't need those anymore. And I'm not sure about Sora's love life, I've been too distracted with my own to really care." Axel waved a dismissive hand, "And really don't think they're desperate for an heir, Queen Terra just seems to really love babies. She's probably itching to have some grandchildren now that one of her kids are married."

"You do realize there's other reasons to have an alliance." Reno rolled his eyes but Axel just waved his comment away, "Anyway, I think I should tell you that before we get to Mulier, I'll be staying there with Larxene for a couple of weeks."

Axel chuckled at that, "What? Has all this talk of babies got you in the mood to make one?"

"Please, if it's anyone trying to produce a child it's you." Reno countered as he held his fiancée close, "With how close you and Roxas have gotten it's hard to imagine that you haven't been going at it like you're trying to go against nature and trying to impregnate the poor boy."

Axel felt his face go red at the accusation. He and Reno used to joke about Axel's very active sex life with his concubine, but now, it just seemed wrong. Why would his brother say something like that about Roxas? "God no." He abruptly yelled, "I would never willingly sleep with another man."

"Wow." A new voice said. The small party looked over and saw Roxas's head poking out of the carriage a few yards a head. A deep scowl was on his face as he glared at the redhead, "I wanted to ask if you wanted to ride in here for a bit to save me from Kairi and her prying questions (said girl cried out in protest at that but no one paid her any attention), "But fuck you Axel. I should have known you were just putting a show on for my family. You never changed." With one last deathly glare Roxas pulled back into the carriage.

No! Axel felt his heart sink. He didn't mean it! The prince wanted to take it back. He didn't know what had come over him. He was supposed to be overcoming his homophobia and strengthening his bond with Roxas. But at the slight mention of their intimate relationship Axel reverted back to his former self. He needed to talk to Roxas and make things right.

"Oh someone's in trouble!" Reno laughed. It took everything in Axel not to punch his brother off of his horse.

~x~X~x~X~

Night had fallen so the group made a stop to make camp. They had left Hibernis a few hours ago, but decided to keep going rather than spend the night in the castle. As camp was being built sleeping arrangements had to be made. Much to Reno and Larxene's displeasure it was an unanimous agreed that it would be inappropriate for the unwed couple to share a tent. The Lady would be sharing a tent with Kairi while Reno bunked with Vanitas. That left the last tent open for Axel and Roxas. The soldiers were left to sleep outside and keep guard from any attack.

Axel was finishing up with helping where he could. Reno and Vanitas had headed out with a handful of troops to hunt for something to eat for dinner, leaving the middle prince to hold down the fort while they were gone.

With nothing left to do the redhead decided that it was time to talk to Roxas about their little misunderstanding from earlier. He found his blond in their tent shifting through their luggage and trying to set their small room up into something a little more homely.

Axel cleared his throat to grab Roxas's attention, but all he managed to do was startle the younger prince. Roxas spun around to see who the intruder was. Curious blue eyes narrowed into something hateful when they fell on the redhead, "What do you want?" He all but hissed out.

"I didn't mean what I said." Axel quickly said. Roxas raise a brow at that, but he didn't say anything and let the redhead continue, "Reno just caught me off guard and I didn't react well. You weren't supposed to hear that."

"Well I did hear it." Roxas said flatly as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Axel looked over his shoulder at the camp and frowned at the lack of privacy. He pulled the flaps closed to separate them from the other people, "I know." He walked closer to Roxas and went to pull him into a hug, but the blond took a step back and out of arm's reach. The older prince sighed and ran his fingers through his crimson spikes, "I'm sorry. It's just that my whole life I've been told that being with a man is wrong and that I'd be damned if I did end up with one. And Reno told me that my father wouldn't approve of us getting close." He took in a deep breath and looked down at the ground, "He only agreed to the marriage to please your father and that's it. His religious views still stand. Reno knows about us and I'm sure he won't say anything to Father about it, but my nerves are still rattled over everything and I don't know what to do or what to think. But I do like you Roxas. A lot for that matter."

Roxas bit his lip and looked the man over. The blush on Axel's cheeks was startling. Maybe there was some truth, "So you do want me?" Roxas was surprised at how confident his voice sounded. And he wasn't afraid of Axel's answer. In fact he wanted to hear it.

"I…I do-"

"Just fucking say it!" Roxas took a step forward so he was in the man's space.

Strong hands were on him in an instant, pulling Roxas to Axel, "I want you dammit." Lips violently clashed. Teeth and tongue came into play making Roxas moan and grab onto Axel's broad shoulders. He felt warm arms circle around his waist and pull him close. Legs stumbled across the small tent until they fell onto a thin mattress that was covered in layers of plush blankets and pillows.

Roxas's hands moved to cup Axel's face. They pulled away for a fraction of a second. Chartreuse looked into cerulean. Roxas flushed as Axel looked down at him. There was something in his expression that he couldn't place, but it made him feel warm on the inside. Not being able to handle that look any longer Roxas pulled Axel back down for another kiss.

The teen parted his legs and groaned when Axel slid in between with ease. Roxas gasped when he felt Axel's thigh rub against him. The break in the kiss gave the redhead an excuse to kiss up and down Roxas's neck. Roxas's fingers dug into the clothing on Axel's back as he tried to arch into the man's touches.

Axel was receptive to the blond and bit down on a spot and rubbed against the hardening length that had the teen moaning. Roxas's face was flushed and his eyes were clenched shut as his body was racked with a nerve splitting sensations. The redhead could feel his body heat up as well. His hands slipped under Roxas's thin shirt and rubbed the pads of his fingers on the soft skin he found there.

The two were so wrapped up in one another that they didn't notice that the hunting party had come back.

"Yo!" Someone yelled outside the tent startling the pair. Roxas pulled away with an audible gasp, "Food's going to be done soon. So finish up and look presentable before you come out." The voice was Reno. The elder prince laughed as he walked away from the tent, leaving the couple alone until it was time to come out for dinner.

Axel glared at the tent flap, hoping his brother could feel his glare and know how mad the younger redhead was. He turned back to Roxas once he felt his glaring had done its job so he could smother the blond with more kisses, but before he could do anything Roxas slipped out from under him.

"Where are you going?" The redhead rolled on his back and watched as Roxas stood on the side of the bed and tried to push his clothes back into their original position. Axel frowned when he saw the faint burn marks that ran up the blond's stomach, "When did that happen?" He sat up and reached for Roxas so he could look at the marks more closely. Those hadn't been there earlier.

Roxas furrowed his brow but let himself be manhandled anyway, "When did what happen?"

"These weren't here last night." Axel traced the marks with feather light strokes. Sudden realization hit the redhead like a stampede of wild horses, "Did I just do this?"

Roxas frowned as he looked between the burns and Axel's upset expression, "I honestly didn't feel that happen. Maybe it's from last night. It's pretty light so you might have noticed it before."

Axel shook his head, "No I just did this. That's where I was touching you. And," He seemed to hesitate for a moment. He looked down at his hands with a scowl, "I felt myself heat up, but I thought it was just because of what we were doing."

"Axel…" Roxas grabbed Axel's wrist to get the man to stop touching the burns, "They don't hurt. If anything it just feels like a sunburn. I didn't even notice it."

The older prince pulled out of the blond's hand and rubbed his hands over his face in exhaustion, "That's not the point. I still hurt you and I have no idea how." He sat down on the bed and held his face in his hands, "I have no idea how to control it. I don't know what starts it and how to stop it. Why did Ifrit give me these powers? I don't understand any of this."

Roxas stood there in silence as he watched the man mentally fall apart. Slowly and gracefully the blond sat down next to Axel. He leaned over until his head was resting on the man's shoulder, "We'll figure it out. There must be a way. A common factor somewhere."

Axel shook his head, face still hidden, "There's not."

The blond frowned. He didn't like how he couldn't see Axel's face. Roxas reached out to grab one of Axel's hands. Axel let the appendage be taken without a fight, but he still wouldn't look at Roxas. The younger prince poked at the fingers and watched them flex under his touch. Axel was beating himself up way too much over something stupid like this, "Hey." Roxas called out, but the redhead didn't respond. The hand was brought up so Roxas could rest his cheek on the warm palm, "Look, you're not hurting me." He nuzzled into the touch, "Everything's fine."

Roxas reached out with his other hand and placed it on Axel's cheek, pulling the man's face close to his. Their lips met in an innocent kiss. No teeth this time. Roxas pulled back just enough so he could speak and look into Axel's concerned eyes, "See nothing's happening. I'm not hurting or in pain." He kissed the man again, making sure to not rile the redhead up anymore, "Maybe when we get to Ignis we can go to the temple and ask the priestess for help."

Axel rested his forehead against the small blond's and gave a weak nod. Until they figured out what was going on with the redhead things would have to slow down. He prayed to Ifrit that Fang knew what was going on with him.


	18. Punishment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! First update of the new year :D I made it my resolution to write everyday and hoping to finish this story before 2018 lol  
> Enjoy!

The rest of the journey to Ignis was long and awkward for both Axel and Roxas. They tried to keep physical contact at a minimal to make sure Roxas didn't get any more burns. And true to his word, Reno stayed behind in Mulier with Larxene, leaving only Vanitas to keep the couple company for the last day of their trip.

When the much smaller party made it to the capital of Ignis and started to approach the castle, Roxas felt himself get antsy and anxious. Now that he could see the towns and the people everything had felt so final. What if he'd never see his family again?

"Are you okay?" Axel asked as he looked the sickly looking blond over. He silently wondered if he should stop the carriage. He had to give up his horse once they hit Ignis borders to insure he wouldn't get attacked. The people were still close minded about their prince's wedding and they didn't want the redhead to turn into a walking fruit salad again.

Roxas weakly nodded his head, "I'm fine. Just overthinking and getting a little homesick." He looked back out the window at the looming castle.

The group came to a stop at the foot of the palace. Unlike at Lamina, there was no greeting party. Roxas wasn't really surprised about it. The only person who would bother to put in the efforts to make sure they arrived safe would be Kairi, and she was with them. Said princess was passed out stretched across the small bench with her head in Axel's lap. The redhead gently rubbed the girl's back as he tried to wake her up. Kairi moaned and pushed her face farther into her brother's lap.

"She better not be drooling." Axel muttered under his breath, "Or I'll be walking through the castle looking like I pissed myself." Roxas let out a small laugh and shook his head at the imagery. He silently hoped that the young princess was drooling. Axel glared at the blond, "Hey I know what you're thinking about. Stop it." He lightly kicked Roxas in the shin.

"Be nice to your husband." Kairi mumbled as she turned around so she could look at Roxas, "Good morning."

"Good afternoon." The blond corrected, "We're home."

Kairi lazily sat up, stretched her arms over her head and let out a long groan, "That was a fast trip. Well I guess I'll see you boys at dinner." She climbed out of their carriage and scampered up the step.

Roxas blinked at the empty spot next to Axel, "Well that was fast."

"Yeah." Axel laughed a bit as he slid out of the carriage, "She's always like this after being away." He held his hand out and helped Roxas climb down, "You should have seen her after she was sent to Tenebris for a few weeks after her engagement with Terra. Once she came back she was all over the place. Gossiping with the maids and playing with the horses. She hates leaving."

"I can sympathize with her." Roxas's voice held a bitter tone to it. Axel frowned as they walked through the halls and up to their room. The blond wondered if he'd be subjected to sleeping on the couch again. Or maybe Xehanort would give him his own room since he was so against his son and Roxas being together.

The short walk back to the room was quiet. Axel and Roxas both wondered if they would be able to continue their new relationship and figure out their feelings without Ignis law getting in their way.

When they arrived outside the room, Axel gently ushered the blond inside and closed the door behind them, "Do you want to take a nap? It's pretty late in the day so there's not much to do. Maybe tomorrow I can show you around town and we can stop by the temple."

"That sounds nice." Roxas hummed to himself as he looked around the room. Everything looked the same from when they left. The glint of the setting sun bouncing off of a shiny object caught the blond's attention. Sitting on the desk was his father's pin. With a gasp the young prince rushed over to pick the pin up. With so much going on he had completely forgotten about the small object. Axel couldn't help his content smile as he watched Roxas trace the soft edges of the pin.

The redhead stripped off his shoes and shirt before sliding onto the bed. His eyes never leaving Roxas. The blond fiddled with his pin for a moment before placing it back down and joining Axel on the bed. They laid together an arm's length away. The air was tense. Roxas wanted to scoot closer so he could hold and be held by the redhead, but he knew for every inch he moved closer Axel would move back.

Axel sighed and looked away from the teen. He knew what the blond was thinking, "Let's figure out what's going on first, then we can pick up where we left off."

Roxas made a disappointed noise and rolled on his side so his back was facing the redhead. The tension between the couple was dense and radiated throughout the room. Neither one knew what to say or do. They laid there for what felt like forever before a knock at the door interrupted their uneasy nap. Axel got up with a groan and opened the door to a servant.

"I'm sorry for bothering you Prince Axel," She said with a bow, "But your father requests you and Prince Roxas's presents in his office." The young maid awkwardly stood in the doorway as Axel redressed and Roxas tiredly pushed himself off the bed. The walk to Xehanort's office was quiet and awkward. When they finally arrived the maid left them. Vanitas was standing outside as well. He was leaning against the wall opposite of the door. His eyes were closed and his arms were crossed against his chest. If Roxas didn't know any better he would have thought the prince was asleep.

"About time you got here." Vanitas muttered with his eyes still closed, "Father wants to talk to us about the failed attack in Lamina. I already gave my statement."

"Then why are you still here?" Axel asked.

Vanitas just shrugged, "I was told to wait. And just fair warning, Father's pretty mad that Reno isn't here to tell his side of the story, but that can't be helped."

Roxas and Axel exchanged apprehensive looks before entering the room. The setting sun cast long shadows throughout the room, giving everything a menacing look to it, making a shiver run down Roxas's back.

"Roxas," The king's rough voice said from behind his desk, "Can you please wait outside with Vanitas. I'd like to speak to both of you separately to insure I do not get a biased answer." That caught the blond off guard but he politely left anyway.

The door closed behind him and Roxas sank to the floor next to it. He pulled his legs up to his chest and rested his chin on his knees. He wearily looked Vanitas over. The raven haired man seemed so relaxed despite what was going on and Roxas wondered how he could act like that while they were getting interrogated over something so serious.

"Will you stop staring?" Vanitas asked.

Roxas tore his eyes away and looked straight ahead. The sound of a clock in the distance could be heard ticking as time slowed. The blond strained his ears to hear what was going on inside the office, but the oak door was too think.

"Geez you look like you're about to have a heart attack. Will you just chill the fuck out?" Roxas looked up at the irritated prince, "It's not like he's going to execute you on the spot or anything." Well if that wasn't what the blond was worried about before, it sure as hell was now.

Roxas startled when he heard the door open and Axel walked out. He looked down at the blond with a whimsical smile, "What are you doing down there?" Roxas just gave him a small shrug, "Well you're up. Just tell him everything you remember. He seems mad, but not unreasonable."

Axel reached down to help the smaller prince off the ground, which Roxas gratefully accepted. Any kind of contact, even if it was something as simple as this, was enough for both of them to know things were going to be alright. The redhead guided Roxas into Xehanort's office and closed the door.

"Well if it isn't my newest son." Xehanort greeted the blond with a fake smile that sent an unpleasant shiver down the prince's spine, "Why don't you have a seat and tell me about you're stay in Lamina? Did Axel do his job and thoroughly take care of you and your injuries?"

Numbly Roxas nodded his head. He didn't know why he was so nervous. It was just a normal meeting between a king and prince. He'd done this plenty of times before when his family went to different kingdoms to gain alliances. This was nothing different, "He did. I'm all healed up now thanks to him and his diligent care. All that's left is a scar. He even offered to help train my brothers and I with sword play. Axel really has gone up and beyond what was expected of him and everyone is grateful towards him. You did an amazing job with how you raised him your majesty."

Xehanort hummed, content with the praise, "Yes, once his temper is under control you'll find Axel is easy to work with. Now tell me about the party. What exactly happened? Start from the beginning."

Roxas took a deep breath in and closed his eyes as he tried to remember that night, "It was just like any other party. Almost similar to the one we had here for the wedding, but smaller. I was dancing with Axel when we decided to get some air," The prince paused for a moment. He couldn't say they had snuck away for a quick make out session. He had to think fast, "Axel said he wanted to see if he could figure out the hedge maze and we decided to make a game of it. While we were in there General Basch attacked us. He said…" Roxas had to take deep breath to calm himself down. He looked over to Xehanort only to find the man's golden eyes focused only on him with his bony hands clasped under his chin, "He said that our marriage was a ploy for you to get close to the kingdom and swipe it from my father. He wanted to kill Axel to protect me from him. But when he came in to attack…" Roxas hesitated once again. Could he tell the king about what really happened? Why couldn't Axel be there with him?

"Axel managed to catch the hedges on fire. Praise be Ifrit." Xehanort said with a nod, "Yes he told me about that. After I saw your state after your wedding night I knew Axel was Ifrit's chosen one."

Roxas mentally sighed in relief. One less thing to explain, "Chosen one, Sir?"

Xehanort ignored the question. It wasn't important, "The only inconsistency in your story and Axel's is that you were the one that wanted to show him the maze." He gave the blond a calculating look, "How do I know if you're not lying and were behind all of this and wanted to lead my son into an ambush?"

Shit. Of course Axel would say something like that. Roxas would have to yell at the redhead once they made it back to their room, "I'm sorry about that. So much had happened in such a short amount of time that small details like that are hard to properly remember. But please believe me when I say that I wish no harm to Axel. He has become one of my dearest friends, and I also consider his family apart of mine."

Xehanort seemed to consider the blond's answer, "Very well. I have no reason to fully trust you or your word though. I need to look after my own after all. I'm very sorry, but until I can hear both Kairi and Reno's sides of the story I'm afraid I'll have to keep you where I can keep an eye on you. Until further notice you are banned from leaving this castle and must be escorted where ever you go. And the guard's patrol rout will pass your room more frequently."

Roxas gaped at the king. He couldn't do that. He needed to go to the temple with Axel, "What but-"

"And that's final." Xehanort said, "You are dismissed for the time being. Tell Axel and Vanitas that I'll make up my mind once Reno returns next week." He started to write something down, a clear sign that Roxas was free to go.

The blond walked into the hall with a defeated air around him. Axel was standing next to his baby brother and the two were having a quiet conversation. Kairi had made it to the hallway at some point and was patiently waiting for Roxas to finish up so she could go in next. The two exchanged a look. Kairi's usual cheerful demeanor turned sour. She knew something had happened, but she didn't ask anything and slipped into the office.

Axel had looked over from his spot and smiled at Roxas, "See that wasn't too bad."

"Our stories didn't match." The blond said in a monotone voice, "He thinks I'm lying, so now I'm under watch until Reno comes back and can confirm that Lamina had nothing to do with the attack."

Axel swore under his breath, "I'm sorry. But he didn't immediately throw you in the dungeon so that's good."

Vanitas snorted at that, "Father must be paranoid if he thinks that runt is capable of being a spy."

Roxas glared at the older prince, "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Roxas…" Axel put his hand on the blond's shoulder to shut the teen up. The last thing they needed right now was the wrong person hearing the wrong thing. His green eyes zeroed in on Vanitas next, "And will you stop trying to cause more drama than there needs to be?"

The raven haired prince just shrugged. As the trio waited for Kairi to finish up Roxas found himself leaning heavily on the redhead. Axel's hand never left the younger prince's shoulder, rubbing small circles with his thumb into the tense muscle. Vanitas pretended that watching his fingernails grow was more interesting than the couple's moment.

But the moment the door started to open both Axel and Roxas pulled away from the other. Kairi walked out of the room with Xehanort close behind. The king looked his children over with an unreadable expression, "After hearing all of your testimonies it sounds like the royal family of Lamina had no part of the attack," Roxas let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, "But," Crap, "Until I can hear from Reno and talk to the council I cannot risk putting my kingdom at risk. Roxas you are still not allowed to leave palace grounds and you will have an escort until further notice. It may seem unfair but it is only temporary to ease my worried heart."

Roxas wasn't happy with the arrangement, but he really didn't have a choice on the matter, "I understand you majesty." He politely said with a shallow bow, "I promise to be on my best behavior to prove that my family is respectable and would never orchestra something horrible like Basch did. And please accept my sincerest apologies for the general's mistake."

Xehanort gave a rough snort at that, "What happened in Lamina was no mistake. It was deliberate. You best remember that young one."

"Yes of course." Roxas replied.

The king looked the four over one last time before dismissing them and going back into his office. Vanitas was the first to depart. Kairi hung around Roxas and Axel though. Following the couple down the halls, a small hand clamped down on the back of her brother's shirt.

Once they reached Axels room the princess didn't seem to have any intentions of leaving. With a slight irritated sigh Axel addressed his sister, "Kairi, what's wrong?"

"I'm just worried. I have a feeling that something bad is going to happen." She admitted, "When I was talking to Father I just felt like there was a shadow or something in the room. It was almost like Death was in there with us."

"Death? Come on don't so be dramatic." Axel couldn't help but laugh at that. Kairi just glared at her brother for not taking her seriously, "Kai, your imagination is just messing with you."

"Well look who's finally back." A deep, cool voice said. The trio's attention was drawn to someone that Roxas knew, but couldn't place a name to the face.

"Its been a while hasn't it Uncle?" Axel greeted. Kairi seemed to fuse into her brother's side until only her big blue eyes were visible, but the redhead didn't seem to notice or care, "How have you been?"

The older man seemed to sneer at Axel, "Can say I've been better." His golden eyes looked over to Roxas, "And where are your manners? A nobody like you should be more respectful to the people housing them. Come on, greet me."

Roxas felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Suddenly Kairi's idea of hiding behind her big brother didn't seem like such a bad idea. Before he could speak up though Axel had moved so he was standing in front of Roxas and Kairi with a defensive pose, "Uncle Xemnas, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't talk to my husband like that. He's not a nobody, and Ignis isn't just a place housing him. It's his home now. He may not have been born as a royal in this kingdom, but he is married into it and is now a prince-consort of Ignis. I'd watch my tongue if I were you." He growled.

An amused look passed over Xemnas's face as he looked his nephew over, "Oh Axel," His voice held a mocking tone to his, "I'll pray for your soul tonight." He walked passed the angry redhead with a satisfied smirk on his face.

Roxas saw Axel's shoulders shake with anger. He carefully reached out and grabbed the man's hand. He frowned at how Axel tensed up, but ignored it as he pulled him into the room and let Kairi close the door behind them, "What's wrong?" Roxas asked as he stood in front of Axel and tried to rub the tension out of the man's arms.

"Nothing. Xemnas just irritates me. He's my father's younger brother so he has a high seat on the council. That got to his head so he think he can boss everyone around. Don't let him get to your head okay?"

"But it looks like he got into yours." Roxas countered.

Kairi couldn't contain her sigh as she watched the couple. Blue and green eyes looked away from the other to look at the girl, but she didn't seem to care and just looked at them with love struck eyes, "Don't worry about Uncle. He may find your relationship deplorable, but who cares? Once Reno's ruling the kingdom he'll abolish that bull shit."

"A princess shouldn't swear." Axel reprimanded, his face unfazed by what his sister said, "And who cares what Reno does once he's king. It's one of Ifrit's laws. Even if he tried the people wouldn't go for it in fear of going to Hell."

"I don't think that. I mean that was your problem not even two months ago because of our deity. But look at you now." She waved a hand in Roxas's direction, "You two have come so far from hating each other. What exactly changed for you Axel?"

Axel thought back on his conversations with Vanille and how the woman had told him about Ifrit and Carbuncle changing, "Maybe it is time for the old ways to die off. Change is always good, but that doesn't mean that the people will just go along with it. Human's don't adjust to change very well and tend to rebel when familiarity is taken from them." The redhead looked over to Roxas, "I was willing to change because I had a good reason to. But the people of this kingdom don't."

Roxas blushed at Axel's words and looked away. He instead glared at the floor like it had personally insulted him. The blond's poor heart felt like it was beating hard enough to burst from his chest. Yes he could see how much the redhead had changed and how hard he was working to make things right between them. The man really had grown as a person since their first meeting.

"I don't think that." Kairi said, "I think that if Reno does do away with the laws against same sex relationships there will be people who don't like the idea and will act negatively, but there will also be the people who had to hide away and keep their love like a dirty secret. Those people will slowly come out of the woodwork and work with Reno to make it happen. Add onto the fact that you two will be there as political figures in a committed relationship will help show that it's not a bad thing."

Roxas shook his head, "Our relationship has done nothing but drive a wedge between the royal family and the people. Hell Axel can't be left alone outside the castle out of fear that he'll be attacked. Just think about what would happen if innocent people started to come out about their sexuality? Reno can do a lot of things, but he can't get rid of generations of bigotry just like that."

Kairi huffed and put her hands on her hips, "Don't be so pessimistic. So there's a few rotten tomatoes out there, who cares?"

"Kairi, do you wish the people to riot? You're not thinking clear enough. Yes people will hate while others slowly come out. If things change as quickly as you want it then are you willing to have death on your hands because the kingdom couldn't properly protect its people? Don't think for a second that any knight would willingly help those that are in same sex relations." Axel tried to explain to his stubborn sister, "It would be nice, but changing things like religious outlook takes time."

Roxas thought for a second before an idea popped into his head, "The only real way people would see its okay is if Ifrit himself declared it so."

Axel wanted to say that Ifrit had done just that, but first he wanted to talk to the kingdom's priestess just to make sure, "We need to talk to Fang." He muttered to himself.

A sudden knock at the door interrupted their conversation and Axel called for the person to enter. Xion walked into the room. Her eyes locked with Axel's for a brief moment before the girl looked away to address the princess, "Princess Kairi, it's time for dinner. I've prepared your food in the dining hall already."

"Oh, it's that late already?" Kairi looked towards the window only to confirm that it was indeed dark outside, "I guess it is." She mused to herself, "Thank you Xion." She walked out the room without waiting to see if her new maid was following.

Roxas decided the lull in conversation was a good moment to excuse himself to use the bathroom, leaving Axel and Xion alone in the bedroom together.

The ex-concubine gave the prince a large smile, "I've missed you."

"Yeah, me too. How has Kairi been treating you? I hope she hasn't worked you too hard." Axel sat down on his bed and sighed at the familiar softness of the mattress.

Xion walked closer to Axel and stood between his legs so she could fiddle with the collar of his shirt, "Not really. At least not as hard as you did." There was sly tone to the girl's voice and a shine in her eye that sent a shiver up Axel's spine. Out of habit he grabbed the girl by her hips to hold her in place. Xion's hands abandoned the man's shirt so she could busy herself with brushing red strands of hair out of green eyes, "It's really unfair how the kings separated us like this. But it's not like they'll really keep that close of an eye on us."

"What are you talking ab-" Axel's question was cut off as soft lips pressed against his. Xion moaned as she pressed her body close to the redhead's, loving the feel of his warmth radiating off of him. Her tongue slipped out of her mouth and into Axel's, pleased with how slack the man was against her.

"What's going on?"


	19. Jealousy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update. I got a job and the hours are really long and random and I babysit on top of that so while I try to write everyday its not always a lot that gets done and by the time Saturday rolls around I just don't feel like the chapter is done. So all and all I don't think I can keep doing the weekly updates, but I'll try to post as often as I can.

Axel gasped as he pushed Xion away, keeping his hands on her hips to make sure she didn't try to move closer. Roxas stood in the doorway of the bathroom. His blue eyes were wide in shock and his hand was gripping the doorframe a bit too tight, turning his knuckles white, "What's going on Axel?"

Xion turned towards the blond and gave him a small wave, "Hello Roxas. Welcome back."

The blond ignored the girl in favor of glaring at Axel, "Well?" His eye twitched when he saw Xion reach out and gently rub Axel's broad shoulders like she had a right to touch him like that. And Axel made no move to stop her. With a growl Roxas stormed towards the couple. His mind blank with anger. He hated Axel. With another growl he wrapped his hand around Xion's upper arm and flung her back. The girl gasped as she fell to the ground with a thud, but the blond didn't seem to notice or care. He stormed up until he was in Axel's personal space and slapped the taller man hard across the face. The sound bounced off the walls, "Fuck you."

Axel gaped up at Roxas as the blond turned on his heel and headed for the door. The redhead reached for the younger prince, but his fingers missed by centimeters, "Roxas come back." He stood up to follow but Roxas had already reached the door and flung it open.

The blond was violently pushed back by a guard who had been stationed outside, "Sorry my prince, but I have orders to keep you here." He gruffly said before slamming the door closed in Roxas's face.

The blond was taken aback as he stared at the door. He was trapped. Suddenly a strong hand grabbed him by the waist and turned him around. Axel reached up to cup the blond's face only to have his hand slapped away.

"Don't touch me!" Roxas growled. He tried to walk away, but he couldn't go far either way, though the other side of the room seemed like a good start. When he went to move he was pulled back by a hand clasped on his wrist.

"Roxas, look at me." When the younger prince refused to turn around Axel grew frustrated.

"I said don't touch me!" Roxas yelled only causing Axel's grip on him to tighten.

"Would you stop being irrational and look at me!?" Axel yelled, eyes burning into the back of Roxas's skull.

The blond turned to face to other prince. His eyes blinded by anger, "I'm done Axel." He said in a broken voice. He looked away from Axel and to Xion who was still sitting on the floor with a confused look on her face, "Look, if you want to be with your whore so bad then be my guest. But don't string me along." He shook his head and clenched his eyes shut as he willed the tears away. Of course Axel didn't like him. Why would he? Roxas offered the redhead nothing except the hatred of his own kingdom.

Not wanting to be in the same room anymore the young prince yanked his limb free and rushed into the bathroom. He avoid Axel's reaching hands and slammed the bathroom door in the man's face. Axel growled in frustration and began banging on the thick door.

"Roxas open the fucking door. Let me explain." A muffled 'go away' was heard and Axel wasn't going to take that. He hit his fist a few more times on the door before trying the handle only for it to jiggle uselessly in it's locked position. By this time Xion had stood up and placed a hand on Axel's arm to grab his attention. Angry green eyes locked into confused blue. The ex-concubine didn't understand what was going on. Taking in a deep breath Axel told her, "While I was in Lamina, Roxas and I decided to work on our relationship. I want to make this work." His voice was quiet and filled with grief.

Xion's eyes widened in shock and she covered her mouth with her hands, "Oh! And I…" Her voice drifted as she looked to the door, "I didn't know. I'm so sorry Axel!"

"I think you need to leave." Xion hesitated at the order. She looked like she wanted to say more, but Axel was tired of her at the moment, "Get the hell out of here. Now!" He barked making the girl jump. Xion scampered towards the bedroom door and made her exit as quickly as possible. The feeling of her previous master's burning glare on her back was unsettling and something she never wanted to feel again. It almost felt like her back was on fire.

Once the girl was out of the room Axel turned back to the door. He could burn it down. He knew he could. But what would he do if the fire grew out of control? Roxas would be cornered. The blond didn't know about the…

That's it!

Axel abandoned the door and walked to his wardrobe that leaned against the wall that shared the bathroom. He pushed his clothing to the side (silently thanking the gods that the staff hadn't started to put his clothes away yet). He carefully fingered the edges of the back wood, feeling it wiggle enough for him to get some leverage and pull it out. That made a large whole in the wall going straight into the bathroom.

The redhead easily climbed through the small space and into the bathroom. He looked around looking for his blond. Roxas was curled with his arms wrapped around his legs so his face was hidden, leaning against the bathroom door. Axel could tell from the young prince's shaking body that he was crying. He quietly approached the boy and squatted in front of him. It seemed like Roxas hadn't noticed him yet.

Carefully Axel reached up to touch the teen's arm. Roxas gasped as his head flew up. Scared, tear filled eyes looked at him, "Ax…el?" His voice was barely above a whisper, like he didn't believe that the redhead was there. He glanced over his shoulder and frowned at the still locked door, "How?"

Axel brushed off the question and instead gently rubbed the back of Roxas's neck, "I'm sorry." He said in an equally quiet voice, "Xion just caught me off guard. She didn't know what we were trying to do and she feels terrible now."

Roxas growled and pulled Axel's hand away from him, "You didn't seem like you were in a hurry to correct her."

Axel backed off and dropped his arms so they were hanging off his legs. He knew the blond wanted space, but that would just put an even bigger rift between them, "I was just surprised. I wasn't expecting her to do that." He studied Roxas for a moment. The blond refused to look at him and instead put all of his efforts into inspecting a random tile on the floor. His eyes and nose were red from crying and is body was trembling with an effort to not let out any more tears. Then something clicked, "Roxas, do you like me?" He knew the blond was at the very least attracted to him, but Roxas had never voiced his affections before. There would be no other reason for why he would be so upset.

Roxas glanced over to Axel then back to the tile. How did he feel about the older prince? Was there anything besides the man's looks that the blond liked? Axel was very loyal, even though it made him stubborn as a mule sometimes and grate on Roxas's nerves. But it was a good and noble trait nonetheless. And then he had almost sacrificed himself to protect Roxas from Basch's attacks (even if they hadn't been originally directed at the blond). Hell Axel had even redeemed himself from taking advantage of the younger prince on their wedding night by being gentle and understanding when it came to Roxas's boundaries with their physical activities.

He took in a deep breath and slowly nodded his head. His eyes vacant, almost like he couldn't believe what he was doing, "I…" He swallowed, "I think I do." He sank back into himself so he could cover his head with his arms and obscure his face with his legs, "This is messed up." Axel heard the blond mumble to himself.

"How?" Axel asked, "I thought that's what you wanted. And I personally don't want something one-sided either." He carefully reached out and managed to get a hold of Roxas's chin so he could force the teen to look at him. Roxas recoiled when he saw the happy look on Axel's face, "Roxas, you heard Kairi earlier, she really thinks that this is the start of a revolution. Hell I was even starting to think that we could do that. Vanille told me that the gods were using us as a way to bring change. And I don't know," The redhead paused, "I'm happy I've met you and that you've given me the opportunity to get to know you even after I was such a close minded jerk in the beginning."

Roxas sniffed one more time and gave the redhead a weak, teary smile, "You really didn't deserve it." Behind the watery sound was a joking tone that brightened up blue eyes.

"No I didn't" Axel agreed as he brushed blond bangs out of Roxas's face, "Now why don't we get out to here and grab something to eat?"

Roxas nodded in agreement. He gratefully accepted Axel's help off the ground and let himself be lead out of the bedroom and through unfamiliar halls. The older prince wanted to hold Roxas's hand as they walked, but the last thing they needed were rumors and whispers from the staff reaching his father's ears. Instead he chose to walk beside the blond, their shoulders almost touching.

They walked into the dining room, and almost immediately their smiles and light conversation died. Kairi sat at the table and was quietly finishing up her food while Xion stood off to the side in case the princess needed her assistance with anything. The lady in waiting silently gasped and looked away from the door with a faint blush on her cheeks. Roxas glared daggers at the poor girl. Axel sighed and led the blond towards the table and had to practically push him into his seat before he sat in the one next to it. Maids and kitchen staff were soon upon the couple, dishing out hot food for them to eat.

Roxas grumbled to himself as he violently stabbed at a steamed carrot. He looked over to Axel, almost daring the redhead to say something. But the man just rolled his eyes and put a hand on the younger prince's thigh to quietly tell him to quit overreacting. Kairi gave the two a questioning look. When she noticed that Roxas's venomous gaze was looking passed her she turned around and looked at Xion, silently asking what the problem was. The maid just shrugged and looked away. The guilty look on her face didn't go unnoticed by the young princess.

The rest of dinner was awkward as Kairi tried and failed at some small talk, but it was obvious that something was putting Roxas in a bad mood and that was a major distraction for both him and Axel. With a bored sigh the princess left with Xion following. Once the girls were gone Roxas let out a relieved sigh.

"Are you going to be like this every time you see Xion?" Axel asked as he took a sip from is wine.

Roxas shrugged, "It depends on her. Is she going to stay away from you?"

The redhead chuckled at that and gave the teen a mischievous grin, "Aww are you jealous?"

"Only as jealous as you were over Hayner." Roxas scoffed with a role of those dark blue eyes.

Axel's grin was instantly gone, "What? Who told you that?"

"Ven. A couple of weeks after we made that stupid contract."

The two laughed at that. With the tension finally gone the couple were able to finish their meal in peace. They made it back up to the room where Axel busied himself with setting his wardrobe back into place.

"You know," Roxas said as he watched the redhead comfortably from the bed, "That's a pretty stupid hidden passage. At least mine and Ven's can get you to another room that doesn't have a door already connecting it."

Axel banged around in the back of the wardrobe, the top half of his body completely blocked off, "It is pretty stupid, I'll agree, but hey it got me in there didn't it?" He finished replacing the faux wall and stood up straight, "I think it used to be a bedroom, but then running water came around and made things more convent. The castle was renovated and bedrooms were turned into conjoined bathrooms." He stretched out on his back next to Roxas and placed his hands behind his head, "I have no idea why they would leave the hole there, but whatever. I never needed to use it until today." The two lapsed into a comfortable silence after that. Axel felt his eyes start to close as he relaxed into his bed. Then something shifted. A weight made itself known at the redhead's side. Green eyes peaked open and saw Roxas leaning over him, "Can I help you?"

The blond didn't respond. He looked absolutely terrified, but determined. Biting his lower lip Roxas flung his leg over Axel so he was straddling the man's abdomen. His hands were shaking as he smoothed them over Axel's chest and ribs. He looked so unsure as he felt his husband up. Blue eyes glanced up at the man's face then quickly back down to his moving hands.

"What are you doing Roxas?" Axel asked as he relaxed into the impromptu massage, "You look like you're about to pass out." But as soon as Roxas lips pressed against his it was the redhead who felt like he was going to pass out.

Roxas didn't start slow by any mean. His tongue traced the seam of Axel's lips, asking for entrance, which the redhead didn't fight. His hands had traveled down the redhead's body and were quickly pushing the fabric out of his way, completely ignoring the buttons that kept it closed. Axel moaned and let his head fall back at the nice feeling of being touched.

Without thinking Axel grabbed the blond by his hips and held him close. He let his own tongue out to play and fight for dominance. He felt the blond moan and arch into his hands, encouraging the redhead to touch him. Taking the invitation, Axel let his hands slide down until he groped the smaller boy's ass and pulled him closer.

Roxas pulled away from Axel's mouth with a gasp. His concealed member was rubbing against the redhead's, and he could feel everything. Axel was just as hard as him and was grinding up in just the right ways. The heat from Axel's hands were starting to intensify, making it feel like there were no clothing between them and that the man's hands were directly on him.

The teen's mouth found its way to Axel's neck where he began to nip and suck. He wanted to leave a mark on the pale skin. He needed to know that Axel was his and only his. Xion wasn't allowed to have him. Once a bruise started to form on the older prince's skin Roxas moved to another spot and gave it the same treatment.

Axel let his eyes slip close and surrendered to Roxas's mouth. He groaned as his hard member rubbed against Roxas's. It's been so long since he felt contact like this, it was almost intoxicating. He could feel the blond feel up his chest and his mouth leaving a trail of kisses and sucks down his neck and passed his collarbone.

With a frustrated noise Roxas pulled away so he could pull Axel's shirt completely off. The redhead had to sit up for a second to help assist in the action, and while he was at it he pulled off the teen's shirt over his blond spikes. The lack of contact for that brief moment was almost torture to the couple. But once Roxas was free from his shirt he attacked Axel's lips again. The redhead wrapped his arms around Roxas and laid back down. He lowered his hands until they were in the front of Roxas's pants. He made quick work of the fastening at the front of the blond's pants. Pushing the pants and underwear out of the way was easy work. Roxas raised his hips away from Axel's to make room for his own hands as they mimicked the redhead's actions and pulled his clothing off as well.

Now fully naked Roxas sat up and looked down at the older man with hazed over eyes. His hands gently traced over the marks he had made, satisfied with how they turned out. Now Xion wouldn't bother them again. Axel grabbed one of the hands and brought it up so he could kiss the knuckles.

"This okay?" His free hand held onto the teen's hip. Neither one noticed the smoke that was coming from it. While waiting for Roxas to come back to his right mind and answer him, Axel busied himself with kissing every knuckle on the boy's hand.

Roxas blushed at the small action, "Yes." He rocked his hips a little bit, needing friction against his aching cock, "Axel," He let out a desperate moan hoping the redhead would understand what he needed. The blush on his face deepened at how shameless he was acting, but his body was on fire and he needed Axel to put it out.

That's what made Axel snap.

He rolled them over with ease so he could have better access to the blond's body. He firmly pressed his lips against Roxas's in a hungry kiss. From this new angle Axel could easily rub against Roxas's body. Their hard lengths brushing against one another, making Roxas gasp and moan under the man. His fingers dug into Axel's arms. Hot hands trailed down Roxas's body making the blond arch into the touch until they touched the teen's leaking member.

Roxas gasped and rocked his hips into the touch. His heart sped up in anticipation. He never thought he'd want Axel to touch him like this again. Hell he never thought he'd get so turned on by touching the man like this. But after he saw Xion all over Axel he knew he needed to do something to claim Axel as his own.

The blond's train of thought was halted when a hand firmly wrapped around his cock, and at the same time Axel sank his teeth into the blond's shoulder. The duel sensation left the teen speechless. All he could do was gape at the ceiling as Axel's hand slowly pumped him.

Once his senses came back to him Roxas let go of Axel's arm and reached down until he came in contact with Axel's burning member. His breath stuttered at the feel of it. It was long and thick. Meek blue eyes glanced up at the redhead. Axel was looking down at Roxas. He looked unsure of himself, but still had an air of confidence around him that helped calm Roxas down.

The moans that were coming from the blond were going straight to Axel's dick. He wanted to hear more of it. Usually at this time with Xion he would play with her and start to stretch her out for him. With a grunt Axel managed to pull his mouth away from Roxas long enough to slick one of his fingers in his mouth. Roxas didn't seem to notice since his face was buried into the larger man's chest, busing himself with mouthing over Axel's nipples.

The redhead shuddered under the attention, it was something Xion had never done to him before, and he really liked it. He could feel his dick twitch in Roxas's grasp and the boy's light stroking stutter at the action.

"Fuck Roxas." Axel moaned as he pumped his hips up into the teen's hand, "Keep doing that." His wet finger traced down Roxas's back until it got to the crease of his cheeks. Roxas gasped at the feeling, but at the same time Axel's hand around his member grew tighter. The blond just moaned into the feeling and spread his legs more to give the redhead more room to work.

The tight feeling that surrounded Axel's finger was unimaginable. It was almost suffocating. Roxas squeaked in pain at the feeling, his body shaking. Not wanting the blond to pull away Axel doubled his efforts in pumping him. He felt Roxas slowly start to relax around him, making it easier to pump his finger in and out.

Roxas detached from the redhead. A string of drool stuck to the young prince's chin as he fucked his hips into Axel' hand then back down onto his finger. He needed more of Axel's heat. He ended up letting go of the man's arousal in favor of grabbing onto broad shoulders to anchor him.

Axel frowned at the loss of contact, but the look of pure ecstasy on Roxas's face made up for it. But he wanted more. The redhead repositioned himself so he could wrap his hand around both himself and Roxas's members while leaving his finger inside the young prince. The new position didn't seem to bother Roxas at all since the blond's nails were digging into the redhead's arm as his moans grew louder.

The feeling of rubbing against that hot, hard flesh was driving Roxas crazy. He felt a second finger slip into him. It stung and he had to bite his lip from letting out a groan of discomfort. He knew if Axel heard he would stop, and he didn't want him to. Roxas wanted to feel more.

Once Axel had two fingers inside his blond he began to stretch the tight hole. A loud unashamed moan came from Roxas as his prostate was struck causing white dots danced in his eyes. He couldn't handle his voice or hips as he moved against Axel. With one last scream Roxas felt his body convulse as he came over his stomach with some of his cum landing onto Axel's still pumping hand.

Axel pulled away once Roxas was spent, but he didn't take his fingers out. The image of a completely satisfied blond under him while he could still feel the wet, tight heat from his stretched hole was enough to bring the redhead over the edge.

The two laid side by side trying to catch their breaths. Roxas on his back and Axel on his stomach.

Roxas was the first to speak, "Wow." He managed to breathe out, "That was…really good." He lamely said as he looked over at Axel. The bite marks that covered the man's neck and chest made the blond smile with pride. He really liked seeing his mark on the redhead's body, "Maybe we can-" Roxas blushed and looked away. He bit his lip in embarrassment as he tried to say the words, "Maybe we can do that again later?"

Axel lifted his upper body with his elbows so he could easily lean over to kiss the teen, "Yeah. Anytime you're in the mood just come to me. I'll take care of you." He winked which made the blond's blush intensify, "How do you feel? Are you sore or anything?" Axel really wanted to ask how Roxas was mentally and hoped that the teen wasn't fighting with any internal demons that may have popped up from their first night together.

Roxas hummed as he shifted his hips around, "No. But everything feels pretty good right now. Ask me again later. 'kay?"

"Okay." Axel gave the small blond one last peck on the lips before fully sitting up and getting off the bed. At Roxas's questioning gaze the redhead said, "I'm just going to get a rag to clean you off with. Or do you think you can stand long enough for a proper shower?"

"Rag please." The blond said around a yawn, a content smile on his face, "Then maybe sleep?"

"As you wish Roxas. Just don't fall asleep while I'm gone." And with that the redhead slipped into the bathroom.

With sluggish movements Roxas pulled a pillow close to his face and snuggled up to it. He'd just rest his eyes until Axel came back.


	20. Burning Bridges

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crap has it really been a month since my last update? I'm so sorry guys! I got stuck in a rut with this chapter. I rewrote some scenes numerous times (hell one of the times I had Roxas tear Axel apart with his bear (yes bear not bare) hands). And I also started to work on an original story. Plus work gets in the way a lot of the time.
> 
> Also for the first time in a long time I didn't use a beta, so please excuse any mistakes.
> 
> Enjoy

Two weeks had passed. Reno came home a few days behind schedule, but upon his arrival the heir heard about Roxas's imprisonment. Reno went straight to his father to set things straight and yelled at the old king about his outrages accusations and unfair punishments. He even went as far to apologize to Roxas about the situation in his father's stead.

As for Roxas, during his two weeks of being under house arrest was spent mostly in Axel's room. Their relationship hadn't evolved much physically. They've only touched each other a few times, but that was okay. While fooling around and making one another feel good was enjoyable, neither one felt ready to advance to more than heavy petting. But having nothing else to do but sit around and talk helped them learn about one another and grow closer.

But today was Roxas's first day free outside the castle walls. The blond couldn't stop smiling as he and Axel walked around the town. He would wave and say hello to almost everyone who passed them, not caring if he got dirty looks by the locals who were against their king marrying off a prince to the prince of the enemy kingdom. He was finally free!

Axel sent a threatening glare at the peasant that just sent nasty gestures towards his blond. Just because Roxas was so forgiving didn't mean he was.

The two walked up to a large structure that was placed on the edge of the large city. It was so tall that it cast a shadow over a large portion of the buildings near it. There no windows and a large door. Roxas gulped as he looked from the building to Axel, "That's your temple?" At the redhead's nod the younger prince sunk back, "Why is it so scary looking?"

"It's used as a fortress in case anything happens to the capital and the castle is compromised so the people have somewhere to go for safety. Just because Ifrit is the god of war doesn't mean he doesn't look out for his worshipers. The walls are built thick to insure it can't be burnt down and the lack of windows makes it harder for anyone to get in. Also, the doors are made of reinforced steel with a booby trap that can be set so there's no getting in through there. There's an underground passage that leads out into a field miles away in case anything does get in or we need a quick getaway, with of course booby traps to insure no one can be followed." Axel explained as he led the blond up the stairs. He pushed open the door and ushered the shorter boy into the dark tower.

Roxas's eyes had to adjust to the dim light. Due to lack of natural sunlight the temple compensated with candles. Which didn't help with the menacing aura that filled the air. Long shadows cast along the walls that looked like they were about to grab you. In the middle of the open space stood a statue of a chimera looking creature. It had a buff human body with a dog looking head. A mane that looked like it was made from the fires of Hell itself with a set of ram's horns coming out if it. One of its large, clawed hands stretched out like it would grab the person walking in and gobble them up with its razor-sharp teeth.

A shiver ran down Roxas's spine and he instinctively hid behind Axel from the threatening entity. His hands shaking as they grabbed onto the back of the man's shirt. The redhead didn't pay Roxas much attention though as he calmly walked passed the intimidating statue and down a narrow corridor that lead to a long flight of stairs, then threw another small passage. Roxas felt anxiety and claustrophobia creep up around him. It felt like the walls around him were getting closing in and the candle light was disappearing.

Roxas walked into Axel's back when the redhead suddenly stopped in front of a door. The redhead grunted at the force, but didn't show any irritation over it. Instead he reached back and grabbed the blond's hand so he could pull him close to his side, "You need to calm down. Nothing here will hurt you." The redhead's breath was hot on Roxas's ear. Once Axel decided that the blond had calmed down he reached out and knocked on the door.

The two stood there for a minute until the door swung open. A tall woman stood in front of the couple. She had wild brown hair that was haphazardly pinned back and forest green eyes. A light blue dress was wrapped around her lightly tanned skin and a spear was tightly grasped in her hand like the woman was expecting an attack, "Prince Axel?" She raised a questioning eyebrow. But then she caught sight of the small blond and how he held tightly onto Axel's hand, "I see. Come in." She stepped aside and let the men walk through.

The room was again windowless with candles to light the area. There was also a large fireplace that gave the room a warm, intimate feel. A low table was in the middle of the room on a plush rug. Three cups of steaming tea sat on it. Fang gracefully sat on the floor and picked up a cup. She blew some steam away before addressing the couple, "Are you going to stand there or are you going to join me and get your questions answered?" Axel and Roxas quickly hurried and sat opposite of the woman and in front of the other two cups, "I take you you're both here to confess to your relationship and ask Ifrit for his forgiveness and permission to be together."

"Actually, I already had that conversation with the priestess in Lamina. She said it was fine and that the Gods were changing old ways." Axel sounded cautious as he spoke almost like he was afraid the priestess of his god would disagree and everything he had been doing was wrong, but once Fang nodded in agreement he let out a small breath he didn't realize he was holding. The redhead grabbed one of the cups of tea, assuming it was placed out for him, "We came because lately I've been burning Roxas whenever I touch him. And a few weeks ago, I almost burned a garden to the ground when I was attacked by some rouge Lamina soldiers. Everyone keeps saying its Ifrit's blessing, but it feels more like a curse." His hands tightened around the mug in his hands and bubbles started to form in the dark liquid, "See?" He held the hot drink closer to Fang so she could witness what was happening, "Do you know how I can control this?"

The priestess narrowed her eyes at the prince, "It isn't a curse. And you best remember that." She said in a scolding voice, making the redhead flinch at the tone, "There's nothing to be done about it. It's something you'll just have to get used to dealing with." Fang said with a shrug, "Ifrit chose you to wield his power to help you reach your potential and you should be grateful for the opportunity."

"But what opportunity?" Axel practically demanded. He waited two weeks to find out what these powers meant only to come up with nothing but more riddles and secrets. It was almost anticlimactic. And even then, it brought up one more problem, "And what about anything of physical? I don't want to hurt Roxas anymore." He felt a small hand rest on his thigh and give it a small squeeze. Axel looked over a Roxas who was giving him a timid smile, silently trying to reassure the older prince that things would be okay. Everything would work out. They would figure something out.

"I'd recommend controlling your emotions. Passion and aggression are both represented by fire and as such is controlled by what you're feeling. If your emotions get to high, so will the flames." She nodded towards the cup in Axel's hands. Hot, bubbling tea threatened to spill over, "Like now I can tell you're upset with my answer. But there's nothing I can do about it. You'll just need to learn to keep yourself in check."

When the prince didn't show any signs of calming down Roxas spoke up, "Axel," He took his hand off the redhead's and onto his cheek to make him look at him, "Everything will be fine. We can figure something out."

"But what if I-"

"And you probably will." Roxas interrupted. He knew one of Axel's biggest fears was hurting him again, "But I will never hold it against you. It'll just take time and practice, but we'll learn how to control it." They would have to.

Fang smirked at the two, "I can see that you two really care for one another. And Ifrit is pleased with that. But not everyone will accept this. It's up to you to change this; starting with the king. Once he can accept the truth then his subjects will follow."

"My father?" Axel questioned, "He would disown me before listening."

"Well that's on him then." Fang calmly sipped from her cup, "It's the will of Ifrit and if King Xehanort is too ignorant to see that, then that's his problem. He can deal with the consequences when the time comes. Is there anything else you two would like to ask me?"

"No ma'am." Roxas said. The tea in front of him had gone cold and untouched throughout the meeting. His spirits down from their visit. The princes bid their farewells to the priestess then headed back to the castle.

What the two didn't expect when walking into their bedroom was Xion sitting on their bed. The woman perked up at the two when they walked in and gave a timid smile and wave, "Hello." She pushed herself up from the bed and walked towards the couple. Roxas made a displeased noise low in his throat and was going to say something to the whore for letting herself into their room, but Axel's hand on his back shut him up.

Roxas looked up at Axel, clearly not happy, "You set this up." He growled.

"Guilty." Axel released the blond and took a few steps to the side in case a hit was thrown his way, "Okay look, we need to talk to you. I get it you don't like Xion because of what happened when we came home. You do know that the whole thing was a misunderstanding, right?" Roxas was glaring daggers at Xion and didn't show any interest of answering Axel's question, "Well, whether you believe us or not is your problem." The redhead said in an annoyed huff.

"If you want to listen or not I still feel like I need to explain to you what was going through my head so I can clear everything up and we can be in the same room without you giving me death glares. Kind of like now." Xion looked away for a moment, not able to hold the blond's gaze any longer.

They grew silent, waiting for Roxas to make up his mind. The blond gave Axel an uneasy side glance. It was almost like he didn't trust the man. The air around them grew tense before Xion decided to speak up again.

"I know what I did was wrong and I shouldn't have assumed that things didn't work out between you two. For Leviathan's sake I was the one who tried talking some sense into Axel so he'd give you a chance!" The girl threw her arms up in frustration, "But I didn't think he'd come around this fast. He's so stubborn and slow." Axel coughed to remind Xion that he was still there, "Oh shut up you know it's true." She turned her attention back to Roxas, "And of course you know about the physical relationship Axel and I had not too long again. Stopping something like that after years of doing it is…well it's hard. Really hard. I thought I still had some time to be with Axel. Not that I wanted to get in between you two, just that your relationship hadn't progressed as far as it did and I could keep seeing Axel just for a bit longer." The lady in waiting tried to explain. But Roxas didn't look convinced. If anything he was more irritated than before.

"What I think Xion's trying to say is that while there were no romantic feelings, I did have a relationship with her, and after everything we went through it's just hard to let go. There was no disrespect towards you because she didn't know there was anything for you to get upset about. Yes, she should have asked me about how far we've progressed before she tried anything with me." He rolled his eyes at how dumb Xion's little stunt was. At least it provoked Roxas into admitting his feelings and progressing their relationship. So he could forgive her for it.

"Do you think you can forgive me Roxas? I'd like to be friends with you."

Roxas looked between Axel and Xion. He really didn't want anything to do with the whore, but she was one of Axel's closest friends (much to his disappointment). And while he'd be perfectly happy telling Axel to never have contact with the woman again, he knew he wouldn't be able to do that without upsetting the redhead, "I don't know yet." The blond finally said.

Xion's smile faltered at that, "Oh. Yeah, we did spring this on you, didn't we?" She glanced over at Axel, who was no help and just shrugged, "Well if you ever need anything Roxas come get me. 'Kay?" And with that the woman left the room to go find Kairi and see if she needed her for anything.

"Really Axel?" The blond turned on his husband with fire in his eyes, "You can't expect me to like her" Roxas crossed his arms over his chest in anger. He didn't appreciate being cornered like this.

"I don't. But like it or not she is my friend, so I'd like it if you could at least be civil with her and not make me feel guilty for wanting to spend time with her that would be great. There is more substance to our relationship than just sex. She's one of the few people I can trust with my secrets." At Roxas's hurt expression the redhead corrected himself, "I can trust you too, but she had been there for me since the very beginning. She wasn't lying when she said that she talked to me about putting my pride aside and to be civil with you."

"What if I don't want you to spend time with her?" Roxas defended. He didn't want to be jealous of Axel's close relationship with Xion. But dammit he was! It was unfair that he wanted to be the only person Axel could confine in. A close relationship with the redhead that no one could get between was all he wanted. And Xion was just the person to get in the middle of things.

A slim red eyebrow rose in question and thin lips pulled into a sly smile, "Oh? And what exactly are you going to do about it?" He grabbed Roxas by his slim hips and pulled him close, "Punish me?" He bit Roxas's earlobe, getting a small gasp from the blond.

But Roxas wasn't having any of that. He managed to wiggle his hands between their chests and pushed himself away from the taller man, "Can you not? I'm serious Axel. I don't trust her." He felt the redhead's grip on him loosen and his brows furrow in confusion, "I don't want to tell you who you can and can't be friends with, but I just can't with this. Not with her. Please just give me this one thing."

Axel frowned and stepped away from Roxas with a confused expression, "So I can't have friends now?"

"That's not what I said! I said that I don't trust you two alone. Can you not fight me on this just for my own peace of mind?"

"So now you don't trust me? Nothing is going to happen between Xion and I. I want you Roxas. Only you." An exasperated sigh left the redhead and he pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. He could feel his temper start to rise. He closed his eyes and tried to calm down, "Don't make a big deal out of this."

Roxas huffed and his cheeks puffed out in frustration, "It's not that I don't trust you. But I sure as hell don't trust her. We weren't even in the castle ten minutes and she was all over you! She's obviously willing to give you things that I'm just not ready for." The young prince blushed and looked down. He knew he shouldn't be ashamed for not putting out. Their first time together was anything but ideal and it was taking Roxas a lot of emotional energy to get passed that and get to this point in his and Axel's relationship.

"And you're afraid I'll just give in to her advances just like that? I'm not some horn dog that only wants one thing Roxas. Yes, I do miss sex, but I'm willing to wait for you." Axel grabbed Roxas by the shoulders and forced the blond to look at him, "I don't want anyone else anymore. What do I have to do to prove that to you?"

"You could not hang out with Xion." Roxas said flatly. His face completely serious.

Axel was speechless. He let go of the blond and took a couple of steps back. His expression clearly hurt, "You know that's like me ask you to stop associating with Hayner right? And I would never do that to you." The redhead shook his head and went to walk around Roxas, he couldn't stand being near the blond. He was almost disappointed when Roxas didn't try to stop him from leaving the room.

Without Roxas and the younger prince's words still fresh in his mind there was only one place Axel wanted to go. He quickly made his way through the halls, down a couple flight of stairs until he was in the lower levels of the castle. The area where the servants lived. The redhead knocked on a door that he was all too familiar with. He didn't wait for an invitation and just walked in.

Xion was lounging on her bed. A set of knitting needles at hand and a ball of yarn at her side. The girl didn't look up from her craft but seemed to know who the intruder was, "Roxas kick you out?"

Axel didn't say anything as he laid down on the bed with his legs hanging off the edge, "No. I left before I lost it and accidently hurt him."

The clinking sound of metal needles suddenly stopped and Xion looked at Axel with a shocked expression, "Hurt him? Axel you weren't seriously thinking that, were you? He had every right to be mad after what I did to him."

"What? You know I wouldn't do it intentionally." He silently cursed at his bad phrasing, "I need to show you something." Axel sat up and moved closer to Xion. He held his right hand out with the palm facing up. He took a deep breath and tried to remember how he felt back in his room. Anger bubbled up inside him. All the frustration he felt from Roxas's words came up at once. He heard Xion gasp in surprise as a small flame appeared in his hand, "I was afraid of this." He twisted his hand around and let the flames dance over his skin, "When I can't control my anger I can't control this, and he said somethings and I didn't want to burn him. Even if it is an accident and even if he forgives me for hurting him." Axel closed his fist, extinguishing the flames with it, "I'm a monster."

"Did Roxas call you that?" Xion looked between Axel and his hand. She didn't look afraid, but apprehensive for sure. Her big blue eyes were trained on the man's hand like a fire ball would jump out of it and smack her in the face.

Axel curled his hand and put it behind him so he could lean back, "No. The first time I hurt him I called myself that and he calmed me down and defended me, but I still can't help but feel like Ifrit made me into one. Both Fang and Carbuncle's priestess' said that this was a gift. That Ifrit was blessing mine and Roxas's marriage and that we were to bring change into the world. But it feels more like a curse for falling for another male."

Xion gave her best friend a sad and sympathetic look, "Do you really think that? Maybe Ifrit knows something you don't. Maybe something is going to happen and you'll need to protect Roxas. Hell, that's already happened, hasn't it? At the party in Lamina? Didn't you set the court on fire to protect him?"

"I was in more danger than him. I even put him in danger. He got caught in the hedges and almost got burned alive. I couldn't do anything for him." The redhead let himself fall back into the bed with a groan, "Maybe I'm not good for him. Or that we're just not compatible." Axel thought out loud, "We do nothing but fight. Have nothing in common. We're just a mess."

"But you do like him despite all of that." The ex-concubine smiled at the disbelieving look Axel was giving her, "I've never seen you try so hard for someone. In the couple of years I've been in this kingdom. And with how long I've personally known you, it's not in your nature to peruse a person. If someone doesn't show you any interest or is just too much of a headache you drop them. But look at you now! You're trying to accommodate Roxas and make him feel comfortable here. And I can only guess that you two haven't had sex yet. Does Roxas not want you to be alone with me because he's afraid that you'll stray away?"

Axel scoffed and pulled his lanky legs up on the bed so he could wrap his arms around them, "Yeah. But that's stupid. He should trust that I won't. I would never do something like that to him." The redhead frowned.

"But he doesn't know that. Even I wouldn't have thought you would if I were him. But I'm not because I do know you. This is what I'm talking about. You've changed Axel." Xion smiled and poked the prince's chest, "You should go talk to him. And tell him blah blah blah some encouraging shit blah blah. You're not even listening to me are you?" She sighed in defeat when she noticed the redhead looking out the window.

Curious Xion looked over and almost laughed at what she saw. An unexpected Reno stood at the edge of the yard. He was distracted by something that she couldn't see, and not far away was Roxas. The blond charged the poor, unsuspecting redhead and jumped on his back, sending the two tumbling to the ground.

"What the hell?" Axel stood from the bed and hurried out of the room. Xion close behind to see what all the commotion was all about.

~X~x~X~x~

"Ow. What the fuck?" Reno groaned. He tried to sit up but the weight on his back was too heavy.

"You fucking asshole." Roxas growled from his perch. His fists were balled up into the man's shirt as he held him down, "Don't walk out on me when we're trying to have a conversation. I looked everywhere for you."

The pinned redhead rolled his light blue eyes, "Kid, you got the wrong person." He managed to get some leverage with his hip and flip the blond off him. He heard Roxas grunt as he landed on his side, but Reno didn't really care as he sat up enough to properly sit on the ground. He looked over at the younger prince and watched as Roxas copied him and stayed on the ground. A persistent frown on the blond's face, "Are you and Axel okay? Is he being a dick again?"

Roxas shook his head. He refused to meet Reno's eye, too embarrassed from tackling the wrong man, "We just had a small disagreement and he flipped out on me and left. I've been looking for him for a good hour." He huffed and crossed his arms, "I just saw red hair and got a little over excited. Sorry for tackling you." He stood up and held his hand out to help Reno stand as well.

The redhead gratefully accepted the hand and got up, "Thank you." And before Roxas could reply he was flicked in the forehead. The surprised blond gaped at the redhead but Reno just laughed at him, "You need to stop being so serious. You'll die young baby bro." He grabbed Roxas by his shoulder and steered the younger prince towards the castle doors, "Now let's go find your boytoy and clear up whatever misunderstanding you two had."

Roxas didn't resist and let himself be lead back into the palace. They didn't get far when the right redhead came in sight, "Hey there you are! I found your husband. He seems pretty mad at you so apologize for being a bone head and make up." Reno held Roxas by his upper arm just to make sure the small blond wouldn't really attack his brother or tackle him to the ground.

And Roxas wouldn't have. He was too relived to see Axel to think about hurting him. That is until he saw Xion round the corner, obviously following the redhead, "You were with her!? Fucking really Axel?" Roxas growled, "I looked everywhere for you because I felt bad about what I said, and you're with the one person I asked you not to see? What the fuck?" He felt Reno's grip on him tighten, but it didn't bother him.

"Axel, is that true?" Reno looked between his brother and his ex-concubine. Neither looked like they had been doing anything incriminating, but one could never be truly sure. The younger redhead didn't seem interested in answering his brother which made Reno almost as irritated as Roxas was.

Roxas's body relaxed into Reno's hold. His blue eyes looked down. A sad glint in them, "If she makes you happy Axel, then I guess you can have her. It's obvious you'd pick her over me." He pulled his arm away from Reno, who's grip had gone slack, and started to walk away, "It's not like anyone would even accept our relationship anyway. So, you do you and I'll try not go get in the way." He threw over his shoulder before walking away from the small group.

"What did you two do?" The elder redhead seethed, "Can't you see he was worried and upset yet you go and do something so fucking stupid." In his preferable vision Reno saw the guards by the entranceway sneak outside and close the doors so the royal family could have some privacy. Good now Reno could hit some sense into his brother and there'd be no witnesses.

Axel looked offended at what his brother's words, "And who are you to lecture me? You have no idea what's going on. Don't go acting like just because you're older than me that you know everything. The last thing this kingdom needs is a king who's on a power trip." The redhead went to leave and head back to Xion's room until things blew over but was stopped by his brother. Blue and green eyes glared at one another as both redhead tried to assert dominance.

"He really was worried. For Ifrit's sake, are you that blind? And you're just going to let him walk away too. He's literally walking away from your relationship and you can't even give two shits!" Reno's eyes then zeroed in on Xion, "And you're just going to just let him do that? I thought you were supposed to be his friend." The woman didn't answer the rhetorical question, but at least had the decency to look away ashamed, "Now go find Roxas, apologize, and agree to whatever he says. Got it?"

"And what gives you any right to give me relationship advice?" Axel coldly asked.

"Because I've been in a stable relationship for a few years now. Hell, we're even going to get married in a year. I think I have the right to lecture you on the subject."

Axel practically froze at the last sentence. His serious face broke into a smile at the news, "What? Really? Is that why you went to Mulier?"

"Yup. Queen Tifa wanted to start going over some details. She wants me to go down there every couple of months to check in and put my two cents into the plans. Not really my thing, but it'll be nice seeing Larxene more. Plus she's excited and happy whenever we talk about the wedding and I love seeing her like that." The love struck look on Reno's face was almost sickening, but Axel couldn't help but feel happy for his older brother. Another part of him was jealous that his brother's relationship with Larxene was going so smoothly while his own was full of rough patches and fighting. But he pushed that feeling down and let himself be happy.

"Wow. Congrats man!" The two hugged like they weren't just fighting, "So what made Queen Tifa want to jump start wedding plans anyway? Both her and father seemed content to let your engagement stay in limbo."

"Because of you and Roxas." Reno released Axel. He noted that Xion had left, but he honestly didn't care, "She thought the wedding was so beautiful and had so much fun that it finally pushed her into talking with Father about finalizing details so she could experience that all over again."

The older redhead looked so happy that it made Axel forget about his marital problems. Reno deserved to be happy. And he was glad that his older brother could find it in Larxene, "Well your wedding will be much better than mine. At least the bride and groom love each other." He gave a weak laugh at the lame joke that was thrown at his expense.

Reno's smile faded as he gave his brother a concerned look, "Do you and Roxas not love each other? I know things were bad at first, but now you two are so close. I thought you did love him."

Axel shook his head, "We get along way better than before, and I have realized that my view points of some matters were wrong. But I don't think it's love. Not this soon." Reno wanted to disagree. He noticed the hurt and longing look on his brother's face when Roxas had left moments before. The younger redhead was hurt by someone he held dear. Reno knew how people looked when they were hurting from someone they loved. But he knew talking to Axel about it would just cause more problems.

"Let's give it time then." Was all he managed to say, "For now let Roxas cool off. But I do want you to apologize to him for not thinking of his feelings and agree to whatever terms he makes. Got it?"

Axel looked downcast and ashamed. On one hand he didn't want to lose his best friend, but on the other he didn't want Roxas to be mad at him or feel this depressed. But if he had to choose someone it would be Roxas, "Yeah. I can do that."


	21. The Assault

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it's been almost 3 months since my last update! I got a full time job and stated going back to school so the only time I'm really at home is to sleep. But i tried really hard so it wouldn't be 4 months.
> 
> This wasn't beta'd and I could only give it a quick look over so please excuse any mistakes you may find.
> 
> Enjoy :)

Despite the sun and his cheerful companion, Roxas couldn't shake the metaphorical gloomy cloud above his head. He couldn't get over Axel and how betrayed he felt. He was stalking up to his bedroom when he bumped into Kairi. The young princess quickly caught onto the blond's distress and ushered him out of the castle and for a walk around the immediate town. And somehow, she managed to get them around the guard. No one would be able to follow them.

"Oh! Look at how cute those cupcakes are!" Kairi gasped as she pulled Roxas towards a bakery. In the windows was a display of colorful treats with icing piled high on each one, "Let's go get some." The princess didn't wait for Roxas's answer before rushing into the shop. It seemed like this wasn't Kairi's first time out in the town alone.

The person behind the counter waved at them with a huge smile on her face, "Hello Princess. What can I get for you today?"

"Something sweet and tasty please, Selphie." Kairi bounced up to the brunette girl. Roxas slowly followed behind. While the people of Lamina were friendly enough, he had never ventured out on his own like this with no guard.

The shop keep gasped at the blond, "Are you Prince Roxas!?" She all but jumped over the counted to pull the blond into a spine crushing hug, "I've wanted to meet you for so long!" She released the prince and held the shocked teen at an arm's length, "I have so many questions. What's Prince Axel like? Do you two get along? How does he take his tea? What scent soap does he use? Does he-"

"As you can see," Kairi said as she pulled the rabid baker away from Roxas, "My friend here is a bit obsessed with my brother." The princess rolled her eyes, "But I, for the life of me, have no idea why."

"Because he's hot." Selphie ignored Roxas's snort. If only she knew, "And smart, good with a sword, and while he may act cocky, your brother is really quite shy. Anyone would be lucky to have him."

The sound of fragile china being slammed onto a table brought the trio's attention to a man who seemed to be out with his wife, "Yes, someone would be lucky to have our Prince as a husband. But someone who wouldn't force our prince into this unholy homosexual life style." The burly man stormed up to Roxas and pointed a large finger in the prince's face, "If it wasn't for you and your damn family's trickery Prince Axel and this whole kingdom wouldn't be damned. All because you were on the losing end of a war."

Roxas grit his teeth as he tried to hold back from hitting the man, "I'm sorry. What did you say?"

"You heard me. You and your whole damn kingdom are nothing but pansy ass trash."

Suddenly the man found himself pressed against a wall, with a dagger pressed against his throat. A pissed off prince on the other end of the weapon. Roxas silently thanked Carbuncle that Axel had so kindly reminded him to put the dagger of Ifrit in his boot that morning before they went to the temple.

The sound of chairs scraping against wood echoed throughout the bakery as two guards who appeared to be off shift approached the struggle. A tall ginger with tan skin and a shorter blond each grabbed a hold of the assistant and prince.

"Get your hands off me!" The man growled as he fought against the ginger guard, "That coward just assaulted me! I demand justice! Lamina scum out of our kingdom!" He clawed and kicked at the guard as he tried to get to Roxas.

The small guard stood in front of his prince and princess, hand on his unsheathed sword, just waiting to jump into action. The other patrons in the shop burst into commotion. Some commending the man's actions, and others supporting the marriage and finding the enraged man insane.

"Wakka, take him away." Kairi commanded the solders with a wave of her hand. That order just seemed to upset the angry half of the shop, "And get any other guard you may see." She quietly added on so the others wouldn't hear. With a nod of his head Wakka escorted the ragging man out, leaving the blond solder to make sure nothing else happened in the bakery.

Roxas gave the angry customers a weary glance, dagger still in hand, "Maybe we should leave." He whispered to Kairi.

The princess was clearly nervous. She was clamped on Roxas's free hand, successfully cutting off the circulation in the appendage, "Sounds like an excellent idea. Tidus, do you think you can handle this until Wakka gets back?"

The dirty blond nodded, "As you wish, Princess." Just at that moment a rowdy occupant rushed the royals, but was fended off when Tidus knocked him unconscious with the butt of his sword, "I can handle them." He reassured Kairi when she gasped in shock.

"Thank you." She gave a small curtsy to Selphy, "I'm so sorry for this happening. I'll make sure my father knows to repair any damages that were made."

"Just make it home safe my lady." The baker curtsied back, "Come back again soon."

With that the two royals quickly made their way out of the small shop and scurried down the road until they were safely back at the palace.

"I'm sorry." Roxas apologized, "I should have realized how hostile people could be towards me after this morning. If you had gone by yourself none of this would have happened."

But Kairi just brushed him off with a dismissive wave, "Oh please, the people here need to get used to you. If you just stayed holed up in the castle all day they wouldn't know you or even have a chance to get to like you. Maybe a few more trips out and things will change."

"They won't." A mocking voice said. Vanitas walked over to the duo. He was dressed in training gear, complete with a blunt sword strapped to his hip. His hair tacked to his forehead with sweat, "Roxas has only been here for a couple of weeks, you can't expect the people to bow down to him and accept that he's here to stay. That'd be stupid."

"You're stupid!" Kairi quickly countered. She tried to look intimidating as she glared her brother down, "You can't think that if he stays locked up in here that the people will stop assaulting him. The people need to get to know him."

"Yeah because that screaming man that I just saw Wakka bring in really wanted to get to know Roxas. Hell, I even heard him say he liked him so much that he wanted to introduce Roxas to his fist." The raven-haired prince rolled his golden eyes, "Maybe you need to lay low for a few days. Try to not start any riots. That definitely won't do you any favors."

Roxas placed his hands on his hips and looked down, disappointed with losing his freedom the very day he got it back, "Guess it can't really be helped." He frowned in frustration, "What's going to happen to that man?

The older prince just shrugged, "Don't know. That's for Father to decide. I don't know the full extent of what happened, only what Wakka briefly told me. But from the sounds of it he could be imprisoned for treason and threat of the royal family."

"Imprisoned?" Kairi looked shocked, "I know he was a huge, ignorant jerk, but is prison really necessary? He has a family."

Vanitas just shrugged, already looking bored with the conversation, "He should have probably thought of that before he threatened Roxas." His hand idly fiddled with the hanging sword, almost like he was itching for another fight, "Well I should head back to training. Roxas do you ever plan on starting up again? Axel told me that he was training you."

"We started, but it kinda died out. He was supposed to start again once we got here, but…" Roxas just shrugged. He wasn't going to push the subject with his husband. The blond hated training.

"Oh. Well that's too bad." The raven-haired prince left the conversation there as he went back to his own training.

"Maybe we should go talk to my father." Kairi suggested, "We can't let him do anything too drastic." The princess grabbed Roxas by the hand and lead him into the castle.

~X~x~X~x~

Axel walked the corridors of his home. He fiddled with a colorful bouquet of flowers in his hand. He knew he needed to apologize to Roxas, but he hadn't been able to find the blond. The redhead tried to not worry. Maybe Roxas just needed his space and was hiding.

Or not.

The small blond that Axel was looking for had just exited his father's throne room, and he did not look happy. His posture was slumped and the frown on his face could be seen from across the hall.

"Roxas?" Axel reached out for the small prince, but those dark blue eyes sent him a death glare and continued walking passed. Then everything clicked into place. Roxas was mad at Axel and didn't want anything to do with him, and then went to talk to Xehanort about something. What if…? "Wait" He grabbed Roxas's wrist and pulled him towards him, "You went to talk to my father about something?" The redhead could feel his heart pounding in his ears.

Roxas didn't reply as he gave a weak tug to get released from Axel's grip, only to fail and give up, "Does it matter? Can't you just leave me alone?" Then he spotted what was in the redhead's other hand, "For Xion?" He successfully pulled out of the loosened grip, thanks to the question throwing Axel off guard.

"No…" Green eyes looked at the colorful flowers, then towards the crowds of nobles and servants walking the halls, "Can we go back to the room to talk. I think we need to clear the air between us."

"What's there to talk about?" Roxas's voice was too nonchalant. His eyes vacant of any emotion, "You want your whore. I'm sorry you got stuck with me and that I've done nothing but make your life a literal Hell. I said it before and I'll say it again: I won't get in your way. Now if you'll excuse me."

Axel watched Roxas start to walk away. Paralyzed. He had to do something. He had to prove to the blond that he was serious about his feelings, "Roxas!" He yelled after the prince, but Roxas didn't seem interested. Axel knew he had to act fast or risk losing his chance to be with Roxas, "I want to make this work. I want to be with you and not Xion."

Everything in the hall seemed to freeze and all eyes seemed to land on the couple. Roxas hadn't turned around and kept walking, like he hadn't heard Axel. The redhead felt his heart sink as his ears started to buzz with the noise of the nobles gossiping all around him. But right now he didn't care about that. Without a second thought Axel took off after his husband.

The door to their bedroom was thankfully open when Axel arrived. The curtains were drawn closed, making it hard for the prince to see. Taking a deep breath in, Axel waved his hand in front of him. A growing familiar tingle danced across his fingertips as every candle in the room lit itself. The curtains to their canape bed were pulled, giving Axel a pretty good idea to where his blond was hiding.

Pulling back the thick fabric Axel was presented with a big lump. Soft whimpers and sniffs could be heard, "Roxas?" The redhead peeled back the comforter only to be greeted with watery eyes, "What's wrong?" He put his forgotten flowers on the bedside table and crawled next to the crying blond.

The curtain fell back and Roxas clung to Axel's chest. He didn't say anything as he let his tears freely fall, leaving Axel to do nothing but hold him and whisper comforting things in his ear.

It took a long time, but Roxas slowly calmed down. His hold on Axel relaxed and he started to pull away. It was too dark inside the enclosed bed for Axel to properly see Roxas. But the older prince knew what to do about that. A ball of fire formed a safe distance away from the pair, illuminating the small space. Roxas's face was shiny with fresh tears and his blue eyes were blood shot.

"What happened?" Axel gently cupped Roxas's cheek and brushed away some newly fallen tears.

"I just…your father…he wants too…" Roxas's rushed and blubbered words were interrupted by another sob. He closed his eyes and tried to calm down. When his breathing had slowed, the blond tried to talk again, "Kairi took me to a bakery earlier. Someone tried to attack me for being Lamina scum." His face contorted into something akin to disgust, "And now your father wants to have him publicly hung."

Green eyes glared at a random spot over Roxas's shoulder, "Someone attacked you, and you're upset that he's going to die for it?" The redhead couldn't wrap his mind around Roxas's thinking. Why would the blond waist his tears and energy over such a low life?

"Yes! How can you not be troubled by ending a poor man's life over something so trivial?" Roxas's voice quivered, "He barely did anything! He has a wife and most likely kids! Do you want them to lose him?"

"He went after you." Axel's voice held firm.

"He didn't hurt me. You think he should lose his life over having a different opinion?" Axel didn't respond. His answer was clearly written over his face. Yes, he did think that, "I can't believe you. How would you feel if someone tore us apart for no reason?" Roxas shoved himself away from the redhead, pulled back the bed curtains, and crawled off the bed. He wanted to leave, go find someone who he could tolerate, but something caught his eye. The flowers that Axel had brought him. Roxas picked the bouquet up and softly petted the petals. A warm hand circled his waist, but he didn't try to pull away, "Why do we do nothing but fight?" He put the flowers down so he could turn around. He wound his arms around Axel's neck and bent down so their foreheads rested against each other.

"Because we're both too hard headed for our own good." Axel's hold tightened, "But you're right, I wouldn't like losing you. I'll talk to my father about the man's sentence." He leaned up enough to give the blond a chaste kiss, "Are you still mad at me?"

"For which time?" Roxas pulled back enough to give himself room to muse with red locks. He wore a playful smirk on his face, but it was still watered down by sadness.

"All of them. For going to Xion when you asked me not to, and for fighting you on your feelings just now."

Roxas sighed and stood straight, "I'm sorry about starting drama with Xion. I guess I'm still insecure about our relationship I guess." The blond frowned and looked away, "You were right. You let me stay friends with Hayner even though you were jealous, and it's not right for me to deny you your friends."

"Mmm…well let me make it up to you." Axel lifted Roxas's shirt up by a few inches and started to pepper the soft skin of Roxas's stomach with light pecks. His hands massaged the tense muscle in the blond's lower back.

Roxas gasped from the sudden contact. His hands grasped at Axel's broad shoulders as he tried to keep his balance, 'A-axel! What are you doing?" A blush burned at his cheeks as he felt Axel's hands slide lower.

"Trying to apologize." The redhead said as he nuzzled into the curve of the other's hip. His wondering fingers found the hem of Roxas's pants and were working on inching them down at an agonizing pace. His lips leaving hot kisses on the newly exposed skin.

Roxas bit his lip in anticipation. Axel hadn't summoned the courage to go down on him yet, but it was the one thing the blond was really craving from his bedmate. He bucked his hips lightly in encouragement as the buttons on the front of his pants were unfastened and his underwear was pushed out of the way, "Well stop teasing me then. Do something to make me happy."

Axel tried to give off a cocky grin as he started to stroke the hardening cock, but Roxas could tell that the man was nervous, "I was thinking I could…ummm." His eyebrows knit as he gave the member in his hand a fleeting glance.

Roxas opened his mouth the tell the redhead that he didn't have to do it. It was the thought that counted anyway. But he didn't get that far as a gasp choked him. His fingers painfully dug into Axel's shoulders as he desperately tried to keep his balance. He could feel his toes curl as Axel slowly took him into his mouth. The feeling was nothing like he had ever felt before even if he wasn't fully inside the moist crevice, but he didn't care.

On the other end, Axel was trying his best to not gag. As much as he cared for Roxas, this was still a huge hurdle for him. But he still wanted to make it enjoyable for his little blond. Taking a deep breath through his nose as he tried to push back every homophobic thing he had been taught. He took in more of the cock and used a free hand to pump what he couldn't fit.

The gasps and moans that flowed freely throughout the room helped spur Axel on as he tried to emulate what he liked to be done. It was clumsy and just a bit too much teeth, but Roxas didn't seem to notice. His hips flexed and his nails clawed at the fabric of Axel's shirt, "Ah-xel!" The blond bit his lip to stop a scream of pure ecstasy as he became overwhelmed by the sensations. It was getting to be too much for the blond and he pulled away from Axel's mouth. But the redhead didn't stop his assault. He continued to pump Roxas's member with a tight fist and lick at the leaking tip, "Fuck." Roxas's body curled in on its self in pleasure, his head resting in soft, red locks.

Axel wanted to bring Roxas over the edge. He sucked on the head and could feel h a violent shiver go down Roxas's spine as something salty filled his mouth. Roxas pulled away and boundlessly flopped on the bed. Axel on the other hand couldn't help but gag on the thick fluid. He spat on the floor and laid down so he was next to Roxas. The curtains fell around the couple, leaving them in the low glow of a new ball of fire that the redhead summoned.

"Enjoy yourself?" Axel asked as he pulled his husband close.

Roxas let out a content hum as he relaxed on top of the redhead. "Very much. Do you want anything in return?" The blond had a mischievous look in his eye as his hands roamed Axel's body. His hands roamed all over the older man's body. He couldn't help the smug grin that spread across his face when he found the tent in Axel's pants. Roxas leaned over until he could lock lips with Axel, the left-over taste that remanded didn't bother him. His hand slipped under the waistband of the other prince's pants and underwear.

The sound of a door slamming halted any movement. Roxas pulled away from Axel and fixed his gaze in the general direction of the bedroom door, not bothered by the curtain that obstructed his view.

"I'll check it out." Axel whispered, "You stay here." He gave the blond a quick peck to stop any objections. He fixed his clothing and slipped out of the bed, "Father?" Xehanort stood in the doorway. An irritated look on his face. The old king never came to fetch his kids personally when he needed to talk to them, so Axel knew he was in deep shit.

"Where's your husband?" Xehanort all but barked out.

Axel didn't know what his father wanted with Roxas, but he wasn't going to willingly hand his blond over to the wolves, "He's taking a bath." The redhead easily lied.

The old king wrinkled his nose as he looked around the room, "It reeks of sex in here." He off handily commented, "You weren't sleeping with him, were you?" Xehanort's voice was practically dripping with venom, and his eyes dangerously glowed.

But Axel just shrugged, not intimidated by his father, "And what if I am? There's nothing wrong with it according to Ifrit's laws."

"As long as there's no feelings." Xehanort clarified. His shoulders tensed with anger. He had to close his eyes and try to suppress his anger. Finally, through clenched teeth the king said, "You caused quite a ruckus with your little confession. And as your father I demand you cease this relationship. It's not right and I won't have you willingly damn yourself."

Axel felt the hair on the back of his neck bristle, "Damn myself? Didn't you think you've already done that to me? You forced me into a marriage then took away any right I had to be with a woman." The redhead stopped himself as he remembered Roxas was hearing all of this. They had just made up and he didn't need another fight with the younger prince, "And even then, it doesn't matter. I like Roxas for simply being Roxas. Gender and sex has nothing to do with it, and I think if I knew him before the wedding I would have still fallen for him."

"Fallen for him? Boy, have you gone insane? What you speak of is blasphemy."

"Is it really? You say that how I can control fire is a blessing given to me by Ifrit. I couldn't do that until after the marriage. I've even gone to talk to Fang and the priestess in Lamina about it and they both said that the ways are changing. We only need your support."

Cold, golden eyes glared at the prince, "Maybe this marriage was a bad idea. I should have pushed Ansem harder into making that boy my concubine. Then maybe you wouldn't be having these dangerous thoughts."

Suddenly the bed caught on fire followed by a surprised yelp. Roxas scurried out from behind the curtain.

"Roxas!" Axel felt immediate regret for letting his father get the best of his emotions when he had left a controlled flame lit inside the dark bed with the young prince. He left his father to pull Roxas away from the flames then extinguished them, "Are you alright?" The redhead could feel his hands shaking as he looked the other prince over. How could he be so stupid?

"I'm fine." Roxas shrugged off the probing touches so he could grab Axel by the face, forcing the taller prince to look at him in the eye. He could see that Axel was beating himself up over what happened, "Everything's fine." Blue eyes quickly glanced over at the charred bed. Okay not everything, "I was just startled."

"But I could have hurt you." Axel pried off one of Roxas's hands off his face so he could kiss the palm, "I hate that I can't control this."

"Roxas." Xehanort addressed the young prince, making the couple jump apart, "I can see that my son had lied to me about your whereabouts, but that can't be helped now. You heard what I said and where I stand on your relationship, yes?" He didn't wait for Roxas to answer the rhetorical question, "You're only here to fulfill the treaty, and all I have to do is make sure you stay safe and alive. So, to protect my son from himself I have no other choice to separate the two of you unless it's for a public event. Speaking of which," The king's lips turned up into a cold smile, "The trial for you assaulter from earlier has finished. His execution has set for this evening at sunset. You both must be there. No exceptions. Then we'll find Axel a temporary room while this mess gets fix up." He glanced to the destroyed bed and soot stained ceiling and wall, "As for Roxas, I'll have the servants pack your things up and find you your own room."

"Father you can't-"

"I'll do as I please. And if it means protecting you then I'll do it." Xehanort gave the couple one last look to get his point across before leaving.

"Axel…" Roxas's voice sounded hurt as he looked up at the redhead with scared eyes. He fisted the front of Axel's shirt and pulled the man close to him so he could hide his face in the broad chest.

Axel hugged the teen close and rubbed his back, "We'll figure something out.'

"For the execution or separation?" Roxas sniffed as he clung tighter to the older prince.

Axel didn't know how to answer. He just held the blond and tried to sooth him. He knew once his father's mind was made up over something there was no stopping him. But Axel refused to let Roxas go. Not now nor ever.


	22. Bitter Goodbyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Omg I'm terrible. I posted this on fanficiton.net for AkuRoku day and completely forgot to upload it here! Well I may be a day late, but happy AkuRoku Day!

Sunset came quicker than what Roxas or Axel would have liked. Over the previous hours their possessions had been packed up and carted off to different rooms on opposite sides of the housing quarters. 

Roxas sat alone in his new bedroom. It felt cold and unwelcoming. It was clearly made for guests who weren’t on the king’s most favorable guests. It didn’t even have its own bathroom, meaning Roxas would have to borrow Kairi’s if he wanted to bathe. He wanted to go see Axel. He was slowly becoming the only one Roxas liked in this kingdom. 

A knock at the door startled the blond out of his thoughts, “Come in.” He said with a sigh and stood up. He knew it was someone coming to fetch him for the public execution.

Reno silently entered. His face down turned, “Hey.” The redhead greeted in a somber voice, “I, umm, I’m here to take you to the courtyard.”

“I thought I was supposed to go with Axel.” The blond peaked behind Reno like Axel would be hiding behind his older brother. Roxas didn’t want to admit it out loud, but he missed Axel and was hoping he would sneak over.

A shadow of a smile crossed Reno’s face. Almost like he knew what Roxas was thinking, “He would have come. Hell, he fought to come see you. But there’s guards who are patrolling the halls with specific orders to keep an eye on the two of you.” The redhead crossed his arms over his chest and leaned his hip on the doorframe in a relaxed position, “But you probably didn’t notice since you’ve locked yourself away in here.” Light blue eyes skimmed the small broom closet like room, “Father must really be mad with you.” He mused to himself.

“I don’t think he ever really liked me.” Roxas sighed and looked out the window. He had the perfect view of the courtyard and everyone who was coming to see the spectacle, “He still sees me as nothing but the son of his mortal enemy, only now he has to ensure that I stay alive. Not to mention because of me his son is breaking a sacred law.”

“Oh, who cares about what you and Axel have? I see nothing wrong with it nor does Kairi. Vanitas, I just don’t think cares about anything. And even then, it still wouldn’t matter. All that does is that you take care of my little brother and you two treat each other right.” 

Roxas sighed and nodded his head, “I’ll try. But I wish this could be easier. We haven’t really had any time to just be ourselves and get to know each other without something happening.” He wondered over to a pathetic piece of wood that was meant to be a desk. Gleaming in the low light sat his father’s pin. Gently Roxas picked it up and fastened it to the front of his shirt.

“What’s that?” Reno asked. He walked into the room and closer to the blond. Long fingers touched the small pin, tracing the elegant design and delicate lines, “Carbuncle?” He finally realized what the tiny dragon was meant to be, “I don’t think that’s the best thing to wear today. There’s going to be a lot of people showing up to show their dislike of Lamina.”

“What’s your point? I’m not from this kingdom, and I shouldn’t have to hide my heritage just because of others. If I want to make any change and bridge the gap between our kingdoms then I need to not be afraid to be myself.”

Reno couldn’t help the smirk on his face as he affectionately mused with Roxas’s blond spikes, earning a yelp of protest in the process, “You’re a brother I can be proud of. Let’s hope some of that rubs off on Axel. Now come on, we better head out before they send someone looking for us.” The older prince gently lead Roxas out of the room. He could feel the blond’s tense muscles and the slight tremors that wracked through his small frame, “It’ll be fine. Just make sure you don’t show any emotion. If it gets too much, just look at the corner of the field. And Axel’ll be there if you need him for comfort.”

“Axel?” Roxas seemed to calm down a bit at the mention of his husband’s name, “But it’s not like we can even talk to each other. Hell, I don’t even understand why Xehanort’s making a big fuss over any of this. I mean he’s about to kill a man over something stupid that has to do with my marriage, but at the same time he treats me like a prisoner just because his son has feelings for me, his spouse.” Roxas talked in hushed tones; he didn’t anyone spreading anymore gossip about him.

“Love always finds a way. Remember that well little one.” 

“Love? Wait that’s not-“ Roxas was interrupted from his stammering when Reno gently pushed him out of the castle doors and into the court yard. All eyes fell onto the odd duo as the courtyard fell into a hush. The outskirts of the area were flooded by a crowd of angry citizens who found this execution to be unfair and unnecessary. Then there were the stands where the noblemen and women sat to observe everything like it was an entertaining show. And front and center of the stands sat the royal family. Xehanort looked bored and tired of waiting for his eldest son to fetch Roxas. 

Axel’s face was blank as he looked down on the blond. The cold gaze made Roxas shrink back into Reno’s side. He hadn’t seen Axel look at him this way since the beginning of their marriage. Would the redhead really throw away everything they tried so hard for just like that?

“Don’t worry.” Reno whispered into the younger prince’s ear, “As a general he can’t show any emotion or voice an opinion during an execution. None of us can.” And true to his word, Roxas surveyed Xehanort’s other two children and they wore the same blank face, “And you’re expected to do the same. Do you think you can?”

Roxas bit his lip and looked at all the faces in the crowd. All these angry faces, it was his fault. Guilt settled in the pits of his stomach, “No.”

“That’s the spirit.” Reno’s voice was surprisingly cheerful as he lead Roxas up a flight of steps to their seats, a roar of boos and insults thrown at their backs. Reno took his seat on his father’s right side while Roxas glumly sat between Axel and Kairi.

A man wearing completely black with a black mask covering his face walked onto a makeshift stage, the man who assaulted Roxas and Kairi followed behind, shackled and beaten. He was only in the dungeons for a day yet he looked like he hadn’t seen the sunlight or eaten in years.

Once the two were in the middle of the stage the executioner pushed his prisoner into position so he could hug a noose around his neck. Once complete the executioner took a step back to a lever on the side and waited for his next orders.

King Xehanort stood to address his people, “Citizens of our great kingdom Ignis, before you stands a man who had committed treason against the royal crown! Let him set an example, threaten me or my kin and you will be punished by death. And I think it would do you all well to remember that the treaty with the kingdom of Lamina still holds strong and I will not take threats towards them lightly.” That seemed to rile the crowed up, but the king ignored them as he gave the executioner a curt nod.

Out of reflex Roxas clenched his eyes shut. His hand somehow found its way to Axel and was desperately clinging to the man’s sleeve. He felt Axel stiffen under his touch and knew he had to let go. Dark blue eyes cracked open, and Roxas wished he hadn’t done that. A limp body slowly swung lifelessly under the high stage. 

“You’re a tyrant Xehanort!” Someone yelled from the crowd, silencing everyone. A woman pushed her way through the horde. Roxas immediately recognized her. She was the man’s wife. Tears streamed down her face as she bravely stood up to the king, “You don’t care about your people at all! You ship the men off to war to die, only to become friends with the enemy. Now you’re killing those who don’t agree? Maybe you’re the one who should be strung up there!” She pointed towards the hanging body, “You’re more of a threat to this kingdom than anyone else!” 

The old king looked bored and unamused at the woman’s rant. He looked to his guards and without a word spoken between them, the guards marched towards the upset woman.

“Don’t fucking touch me!” She yelled as the guards ceased her. The woman didn’t go without a fight. As she was dragged out of the crowed she kicked and punched until one of the guards managed to manhandle her arms behind her back and could walk her to the middle of the court yard where she stood facing Xehanort, “Fuck you. You killed my husband and ruined my family over nothing.” She seethed.

“It seems that you’re in a hurry to see your dear husband again very soon.” Xehanort said with little to no emotion. With a wave of his hand the woman was carted away to the podium where the lifeless corpse of her husband was being carted off. The executioner was busy stringing up a fresh noose. 

Roxas could feel his heart slow down, “You got to stop this.” He harshly whispered to Axel, his fingers digging into the redhead’s wrist. This madness had to stop. Why was Xehanort so hell bent on all this senseless killing?

The blond could feel Axel’s pulse beat harshly against his fingertips, “How? I can’t go against Father’s orders.” He pulled his arm away and out of Roxas’s grasp. He leaned forward in his seat. He thought about how he had managed to control his fire enough to light the candles in his room, and make the levitating ball of light. Maybe if he concentrated hard enough he could probably smolder through the noose and the woman would fall free before she could be hung, “I think I have an idea.” Axel muttered as he gave his father a fleeting glance to make sure the old man wasn’t paying him any mind.

“You do?” Roxas’s eyebrows scrunched up in confusion, “How?”

But Axel didn’t answer. He stared at one point of the rope as the executioner readied it. He blocked out the sounds of the crowd’s anger and the noble’s cheers for a good show. A thin, almost transparent line of smoke slithered out from the rope. No one seemed to notice, but Axel could feel it.

The screaming woman was forced onto the stage, where she kicked and bit at the guards like she was a wild animal. But she was eventually placed over the trap door and the weakened noose wrapped around her neck. Green eyes kept their gaze as the executioner took his place, waiting for Xehanort’s orders.

“You’re all heretics! I hope Ifrit smites you all!” The woman’s ice blue eyes zeroed in on Xehanort and with a chilling hiss she said, “Burn in hell your majesty.” 

With a curt nod, the flooring fell.

Axel tried to work fast. He could see the woman struggle against her bonds and try to gasp for breath. The smoke became more visible and Axel could feel the heat radiating off him. 

He almost had it, but then a swift kick to his head threw Axel’s concentration. The crowd gasped in fright as the hanging woman caught on fire. The sounds on her chocking screams and smell of her burning flesh would haunt Axel for the rest of his life.

In the confusion and mayhem, the prince managed to turn around to see who the attacker sitting behind him was, only to find his uncle, Xemans. The man had a weird, satisfied look on his face. 

“A-axel.” Roxas’s grasp on the redhead tightened. His blue eyes glued to the gruesome scene. This wasn’t something Axel wanted Roxas to witness. He knew this wasn’t something they did in Lamina. In an instant, he pulled Roxas to him, hiding the boy’s face into his side. 

“Kairi,” Axel hissed to get his sister’s attention, “Get him out of here. Please.” 

With a soft touch, Kairi guided Roxas out of the stands. She waved to Xion, signaling to her maid that they were leaving. The three of them managed to escape the courtyard and the impending riot. Axel let out a sigh of relief, but that didn’t last long.

“Excellent job, Axel.” Xehanort patted his son on the back, “Strick some fear into them. Those poor bastards are probably thinking Ifrit struck her down for his insubordination.” The old king seemed happy as he watched his citizens scurry away from the palace in fright. 

The redhead didn’t respond. He couldn’t respond. What had he done? Green eyes couldn’t look away as the woman’s body burned to nothing but ash that floated away in the wind. Axel could feel bile rise from his stomach as the nobles cheered. But he sat in his seat until the last of his flames went out and the executioner carried out the man’s limp body. 

Axel didn’t waste any time leaving the arena the first chance he could get. He didn’t run away like a coward, but he certainly didn’t linger. When he got back into the castle Axel made a b-line to Kairi’s room where he found her along with Xion and Roxas sitting around a small table sipping tea. Kairi and Roxas shared an elegant loveseat while Xion sat opposite in a wooden chair. Roxas looked shaken up, but met Axel’s eye without any hesitation. That would have been a good sign if Axel wasn’t the one avoiding the small blond.

“Axel,” Roxas softly said, grabbing the man’s attention, “I know it was an accident.”

Green eyes swept across the small table. His spouse, baby sister, and best friend all stared back at him. The three people who meant the most to him, “That’s not the point. I couldn’t control myself because of a small distraction. What if I end up hurting one of you because I can’t control my powers?”

“To be fair,” Roxas stood and gestured to his torso, “You’ve already hurt me. More than once I might add. But I still care for you. There’s no way that could change.” He went to grab the redhead, but Axel pulled away and started to walk towards the door, “Axel? Where are you going?” The younger prince went to follow but was stopped.

“I need to be alone right now.”

“Wha- Come on you know I didn’t mean it like that.” But Axel wasn’t listening. He walked out of the room without hesitation.

Roxas wanted to follow and explain himself. He didn’t mean for what he said to hurt the redhead in anyway. He just wanted to point that he cared too much for Axel for something so little to come between them, but a soft cough grabbed his attention, “Leave him be, Roxas.” Kairi said, “He needs time to cool off and collect himself. In the meantime,” The princess turned to her lady in waiting, “Xion, why don’t you go fetch us some tea and cookies.”

~X~x~X~x~

Axel stormed through the castle. He needed to be alone and clear his thoughts. Guilt washed over him, not because of the woman he had just killed, but because of how he had treated Roxas. From the scar running down his chest, the miscellaneous burns from innocent touches, and their not so memorable first time together. 

A sudden clap sounded behind the redhead, “Good show.” Xemnas said as he and Xehanort approached the redhead with someone Axel didn’t know following close behind.

“I don’t know what you mean.” The prince countered. The only people who knew about his powers were his immediate family, his in-laws, and Xion. Xemnas would have no idea he was the source of the fire. And the stranger shouldn’t have known anything. But his piercing gold eyes showed that he knew more than he let on. Axel gave the man a suspicious glance, “And you are?”

“My apologizes.” The man said with a shallow bow, “I am Saïx. Lord Xemnas’s advisor and close friend.”

Xemnas looked all too pleased with himself, “Your father had informed me about you…er…blessing, I guess you can call it.” The man looked absolutely thrilled as he looked at Axel.

“What?” Axel turned to his father, “Why did you tell them? If you haven’t noticed this isn’t something want spread around.” But Xehanort looked pleased with himself, which did nothing to calm the redhead’s rage, “Well say something.” Axel seethed. He could feel his temper start to rise.

“Because everyone must know about it. Let the people know to fear you. Have them submit. Isn’t that what I’ve taught you your whole life?” The question was rhetorical, and Axel knew better than to talk back. But he wished he could, “And after the little incident last night, I think you need to find someone to help you train. I don’t need to be putting you into a different room every time you temper flies off the handle. So, I talked to Xemnas about the idea of isolating you until you can control yourself.’ 

“So I’m a freak now and you need to stash me away before I taint you good name?” The redhead almost scoffed.

Xehanort couldn’t help a cold chuckle, “If I was worried about you ruining the name of our good family then I would have thrown you to the wolves the moment you married another man. And if it makes you happy, your uncle talked me out of that idea. He thinks you need proper training from someone who understands the importance of mediation.” He waved towards the quiet advisor, “Saïx here has mastered such a skill and has offered you his assistance. He has a small cottage in the outskirts of Tenebris. I’ve already talked to King Eriques and have arranged for you to go there in no more than two days. You’ll leave tomorrow morning.”

“Tomorrow?” Axel’s brows furrowed in confusion. The time restriction wasn’t what bothered him, it was how fast everything was happening. Plus he didn’t trust Saïx or this little plan. He couldn’t say why, it was just a gut feeling, “And what if I don’t agree?” 

“It’s a direct order. How do you expect to be a general and lead an army if you can’t properly fight without putting your own men in danger? Getting this under control as fast as possible will benefit the kingdom in the long run. I should have sent you off the moment you started to demonstrate such power.”

Axel had to bite his tongue. He couldn’t fight an order. With a curt nod the redhead walked away from the trio. He needed time to think and be by himself. Everything seemed to be his fault. Thanks a lot Ifrit. He thought as he stormed away. He needed to be alone for a while to think.

~X~x~X~x~

Roxas curled up on his bed with a tired sigh. It had been a long, emotionally draining day. And to make it worse he hadn’t seen Axel for most it. He looked all around the palace and stables for his husband, but he was nowhere. He tried to curb the lonely feeling in his gut by spending some time with Kairi, but wherever she went Xion had to follow, and Roxas didn’t want to be around Axel’s ex-lover.

He stared at the low burning candles as the night grew long. He was starting to drift off into a light sleep when he heard his door open. Roxas gasped when he felt the bed sink as someone sat next to him and large hands pushed him onto his back. Blue locked into hazy green, “Axel?” Roxas tried to sit up but the redhead pushed him back into the bed, “Where have you been?

Axel didn’t answer. Instead he leaned down until he could press his lips against Roxas’s. The blond startled at the taste of whiskey on the older man’s tongue. Roxas tried to push Axel away as terrible memories washed over him, but Axel was relentless. 

Tears pricked at blue eyes, “A-Axel, please stop.” He weakly pushed at the strong chest, but it didn’t seem to faze the other prince. 

Instead Axel’s hands traveled under Roxas’s loose night shirt and played with the soft skin he found. Roxas shivered at the warm touch, but it wasn’t from arousal. He tried to squirm away but was trapped under the redhead. Axel forced another alcohol tasting kiss onto the shaking blond and let his hands wonder down and past the hem of his pants.

“Stop!” Roxas grabbed at Axel’s wrist and tried to pull the hand out of his pants. That action caught Axel’s attention. Green eyes seemed to have sobered up as the redhead finally caught onto his husband’s distress, “Please stop.” Roxas sobbed out as he curled into himself.

“Roxas…” Axel slowly sat up, still straddling the blond. He ran a hand over his face as he tried to shake the hazy feeling that hung around his mind. He looked down at the distressed boy that had tears running down his face, “Shit, I’m so sorry.” He reached down to wipe off Roxas’s face, but the blond flinched away from the touch. 

Dread filled Axel. What had he done? The last thing he remembered was sitting in his room drinking his problems away, and now he was in Roxas’s room with said boy crying under him, “What happened?” He climbed off the blond and sat at the edge of the bed and looked over the younger boy who had curled on his side with his back facing the redhead.

“Just go.” Roxas’s voice was horse and wet from crying.

Without an argument Axel stood. He got to door when he remembered, Roxas didn’t know he would be leavening in the morning, “Roxas, I need to tell you something.”

But Roxas had pushed himself under the blankets and was hiding, “I don’t want to hear it right now. Leave me alone.”

Axel felt his heart sink. He didn’t want to leave on such a sour note, but at the same time he needed to respect Roxas’s wishes, “Okay. I’m sorry.” And with that the redhead left the upset prince alone. He didn’t know when the next time he would be able to see Roxas again was, but he hoped that Roxas wouldn’t push him away when he came back.


	23. Letters to Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About damn time I updated huh? So good news! I'm going to try to update this for NaNo again this year. i'm hoping to wrap this story up in that time. But don't worry, there's going to be a second part :3

The sound of chirping birds and streams of light coming through the thin curtains woke Roxas early the next morning. The late summer heat didn't reach the blond. All he could feel was the cold, empty spot next to him. Not waking up next to Axel was a strange feeling to Roxas. It didn't feel like not even two months ago he wanted nothing to do with the redhead.

Then he remembered why.

The blond curled up in himself and pulled his blanket over his head as he tried to hide from his own thoughts. The smell and even the way Axel had touched him brought back the memories of their first time. His body felt violated as he remembered those hot touches tracing down his body. It might have been his imagination, but the prince could also smell alcohol imbedded into his sheets and body. Why had Axel been drinking? Besides a glass of wine at dinner, Roxas hadn't seen the redhead touch anything else since their first time. Maybe something was wrong and that's why Axel had felt the need to get drunk.

Suddenly Roxas needed to see the older prince. Despite his nerves telling him not to, bolted out of his bed and practically ran out of his room and rushed towards Axel's, not caring he was still in his pajamas. He raised his hand to knock at the thick oak door, but hesitated. His heart pounded in his chest as he mentally prepared himself to face the redhead. He took a shaky breath in as he raised his hand to knock.

"He's not in there." Someone said behind Roxas, making the blond yelp and quickly turn to face his assailant and was greeted by someone with golden eyes and black hair.

"Vanitas." Roxas gasped out a sigh of relief. He wasn't particularly happy to see the prince, but Vanitas catching him was better than Xehanort, "Where is he then? I need to talk to him."

The older prince cocked his head to the side and studied the blond, "You don't know?" Vanitas's dark eyebrows scrunched up in confusion when Roxas shook his head, "He left for Tenebris early this morning. I had to get up before the sun was up to help assemble the troops that are escorting him and Uncle Xemnas. They're probably half way there by now."

Roxas felt his body go numb. Axel was gone? He left him alone without a word? "How long is he going to be gone?" The blond's voice was barely above a whisper. He wrapped his arms around himself like he was trying to shield himself against the sorrow that was threatening to crush him. Was that what Axel was going to tell him before Roxas had thrown him out of his room last night?

Vanitas just shrugged, "I don't know. I just know that Father wanted him to go away for some special training. He could be gone from a week to a year. It depends on what they're doing." He took in the depressed and confused looking blond for a moment before speaking up, "Hey, since Axel's gone do you want to train with me?" The raven-haired boy seemed to startle himself with the offer, "I mean, he was supposed to pick up your training anyway. Why don't I do that for him and when he comes back you can fight him as payback for just deserting you like this."

Roxas hesitated, he had seen Vanitas spar before and he wasn't sure if he wanted to be on the other end of the man's sword. But at the same time could he really pass up the opportunity? With a weak smile formed on Roxas's face and he nodded, "Yeah, that sounds like fun." He tilted his head to the side in thought, "What are you doing down here anyway?" Vanitas's room was on the other side of the hall and he would have no reason to come down to Axel's.

"I found something interesting that I thought you might like to see. I meant to tell Axel before he left but it slipped my mind. I was on my way to your room when I saw you creeping around here, barely dressed."

Roxas blushed as he looked down at his pajamas, "I just needed to ask Axel something. But since he decided to up and leave me hanging, what did you find?"

"Go get dressed and meet me by my father's office. He's out observing the troops for the morning so he shouldn't be back for another hour or two to disturb us."

"Disturb? Vanitas what's going on." Roxas could feel his nerves get the better of him. He had never been alone with Vanitas, and while the older prince proved to not be as bad as Roxas had originally believed, the blond still felt uncomfortable around him.

Gold eyes narrowed in mischief with a matching smile, "Just a bit of snooping. It's fine." And with that the older prince turned and left, leaving Roxas to hurry and get ready. Excitement and curiosity pounded through his veins as he wondered what Vanitas wanted to show him that required them sneaking around Xehanort.

Once fully dressed Roxas rushed down to the king's private office and found Vanitas already riffling through the large desk drawers. Roxas cleared his throat to alert the other boy that he was there, making Vanitas jolt from his spot and look up with slightly startled eyes. He visibly relaxed when he saw it was only Roxas, "Finally. I was getting worried. Now come over here."

Roxas was hesitant to enter the room, it was off limits after all, but went inside anyway, making sure the door was firmly closed behind him, "What did you need to show me?" He quietly asked while walking closer to the other prince.

Vanitas didn't say anything as he continued his search. After a few minutes, he let out a triumphant yell as he pulled a stack of letters out of a drawer, "These." He handed the stack over to the blond, "I was in here earlier and saw them. Thought you'd be interested."

Roxas studied the pile for a moment. He recognized the eloquent script that belonged to his mother, "This has my name on it." The blond gasped out. The letters had all been opened and as he pulled one of the letters out of its envelopes and skimmed it; he could tell it was one side of an ongoing conversation, "What are these?" His brows furrowed as he read, "Why did I never receive these? Why is Xehanort writing for me?" The blond felt sick to his stomach. This was all wrong.

"I don't think Father realized he had left them out when I was here."

"Why are you showing these to me?" Roxas looked at another letter. How many did Xehanort write pretending to be him?

"Thought you should know. It didn't seem right for him to keep doing this."

The blond numbly nodded his head. He was barely paying Vanitas any attention, "I'm going to go find some place to read this." He didn't wait for a reply as he walked back out of the room with his nose shoved in one of the letters.

Hours passed and Roxas found himself inside Axel's room, sprawled across the soft bed. He was engrossed. From the one side of the conversation he could tell everything was going well in Lamina. Sora had kept up with his training, while Ventus had stopped but taken up being a scholar and studying under their old tutor Merlin. Terra seemed happy that her children had started to settle down and figure their lives out. From what he could tell Xehanort had been trying to play everything up. For all the king and queen of Lamina knew their youngest son was happy as could be. No false imprisonment. No assaults while out in public. No sleeping in broom closets. And no forced separations from Axel.

What complete bull shit. Roxas scoffed at all the lies Xehanort seemed to be feeding his mother. And what's worse, the woman seemed to be buying it. Roxas couldn't understand, he knew his handwriting was different from the kings, so how did Queen Terra not know it wasn't him? Maybe the woman was just glad that her youngest child sounded happy and looked passed it?

With a frustrated groan Roxas rolled off the bed and left the room. He needed to talk to somebody who know how Xehanort's brain worked. The blond wondered the halls of the castle, but could not find who he was looking for.

With a defeated sigh Roxas decided to give up his search and join Vanitas out in the training field to take him up on his previous offer. It must have been a good call, because Roxas found the person he was searching for sparing with Vanitas.

Sweat dripped off the two as they fought under the hot sun. The ring of swords hitting against each other was the only noise as everyone watched in awe. Roxas joined the ranks of soldiers. The young prince couldn't help but be entertained as the two looked to be in a well-choregraphed dance. When one would strike, the other would parry, making them circle and twirl around each other. It really was a thing of art.

It finally ended when Vanitas's sword was knocked out of his hand. The two violently panted as a blunt sword was pressed against the raven-haired man's throat.

"Sorry Vani, better luck next time."

Vanitas frowned at the nick name and stepped out of the sword's range, "Shut up Reno. And don't call me that." The younger prince growled as he went to fetch his fallen sword, "Another duel? I bet I can win this time." Vanitas started to get into a starting stance and waited for his brother's reply.

"You sure you want to do that? I'd hate for your men to see you lose again." Reno jabbed as he pointed to the soldiers watching from the sidelines, "Or Roxas for that matter." The redhead smiled at the blond who looked shocked to be picked out of the crowed, "If you want to train him he shouldn't see you lose as well."

Both Roxas and Vanitas flushed at the statement. Roxas for being called out when he thought he was blended into the crowed, and Vanitas for the assumption of being weaker than his older brother. The raven-haired prince gave Reno one last glare before storming off the field, everyone backing out of his way in fear of his temper.

Once he was gone and the crowed started to thin, Reno gave Roxas his full attention, "So, how's your first day without Axel going?" He sounded way too cheerful for Roxas's taste.

"Alright I guess." Roxas hesitated for a moment before continuing, "It would have been nice if he would have told me he was leaving instead of sneaking into my room while drunk and trying to jump me." Blue eyes looked down at the ground, ashamed. A light blush dusted Roxas's cheeks as he fidgeted under Reno's questioning gaze. He didn't know if he had just gotten Axel in trouble or not, but it was a subject that had been nagging him

"Axel forced himself on you?" Reno said in a careful tone so he wouldn't upset the trembling blond. He didn't wait for an answer and continued talking, "Because if he ever does anything to you that doesn't have your full consent then come straight to me and I'll sort him out."

Roxas shook his head, "No, it's not like that. I guess he was coming to tell me, but he was drunk and, I don't know, but he didn't really force himself on me. He tried and stopped when I asked him to." The blond trailed off towards the end, he did have to get a bit forceful to get Axel to stop, but he did listen in the end and that was all that mattered to him.

Reno didn't seem convinced, but let the subject drop, "Okay so if my stupid, baby brother isn't the problem, what can I do for you? You look troubled."

"Well…umm…" Roxas worried his lower lip as he scanned the field, looking at the lingering soldiers, "Not here. Can you come with me? I need to show you something in Axel's room."

"Yeah, sure thing. Lead the way." The two left the training field and made their way up to the room.

Roxas showed Reno to the bed and told the other man to sit down, getting a questioning gaze in return, "Don't you think this is a little risqué Roxas? Asking another man into your husband's room alone. Not to mention said other man is also engaged. What would the maids think if they walked in?" Reno knew that Roxas didn't see him like that, but he had to let the blond know how inappropriate this was. He didn't need any sort of gossip getting back to Axel once the younger redhead came back.

Roxas's face was beat red, "I-It's not like that!" He opened the drawer of the bedside table and pulled out the letters, "I need your advice on something. Vanitas gave these to me and I don't know what to do about it." He handed the stack over to the redhead.

Reno looked over Terra's letters, "Okay, so you wrote to your mother. What's the big deal?"

"But I never wrote to her. King Xehanort did. What do I know is that he's pretending to be me to keep my parents complicit, but doesn't this feel kind of extreme to you?"

Reno hummed in thought as he skimmed a couple of letters, "Your mother probably sent out a letter asking for an update, and let's face it, you haven't had the best of times here. Father probably freaked out about breaking the treaty and wrote back saying everything was fine. Yes it's extreme, but I can see the logic."

"So, you're just going to support the king's behavior over this?" Roxas all but growled at the heir. That wasn't what he wanted to hear at all.

"What? Oh no I don't!" The redhead realized his mistake and jumped from the bed, he grabbed onto Roxas's shoulders so the blond couldn't storm away and give him a chance to explain himself, "I'm not saying what he did was right. It's wrong beyond all belief, but you can tell he panicked and then it was too late and he had to stick with the façade." Reno released Roxas and backed up to give them some personal space, "I don't think there's really anything you can do without upsetting your parents and nulling the treaty." He admitted, "But you can gain some leverage with my father." The frown on the man's face lifted into a mischievous smirk.

Roxas nodded his head as he thought of what kind of leverage he would want, "I can get him to sit down and talk about what your priestess told me not too long ago. That Ifrit and Carbuncle were coming together and that Axel and mine's relationship shouldn't be seen as taboo anymore. We tried to talk to King Xehanort about it when Fang first told us, but he wouldn't listen." The boy explained. His dark blue eyes seemed to brighten at the thought and his smile was infectious. He almost looked light on his feet as he lightly bounced on his toes in anticipation.

Reno chuckled at that, "I bet you would like that huh? Can finally get out of that depressing room and finally get back into that nice, comfortable bed." He pointed at said bed, "And I bet cuddling with Axel would be another bonus."

"A bonus, definitely, but I'm doing it mostly for the bed. I swear the one your father has me on now is like sleeping on a sack of potatoes." Roxas laughed, his cheeks sporting a light blush, "So how do I go about doing this?"

"Hmm…Well you have the proof with the letters. The only downside I can see is him accusing you of snooping around in places you shouldn't be in. He can throw you in the stocks for that." Roxas gulped at the thought of that, "I'd send a letter to one of your brothers, tell them what's happened and tell them to keep it a secret from your parents for now. That way if Father tries anything else someone over in Lamina would be able to intercept his letters."

Roxas nodded his head as he listened to the plans, "Okay, but how do I approach Xehanort?" The blond was still intimidated by the king, it was a simple fact that would never change.

"I wouldn't do it with other people around. He'd get even more defensive and will hold it against you if you embarrass him in front of his subjects or court." Roxas nodded his head at that, "Maybe reread the treaty? See if you can find any loop holes, there has got to be a clause or something saying he can't treat you like this." Reno kept on talking about his plan, offering to back Roxas up in case he needed it. Everything in Roxas's life looked like it was about to lighten up.

~X~x~X~x~

"King Xehanort!" Roxas called after the king. The sun was starting to set, meaning Xehanort was done speaking to the commoners' pleas and requests, and getting ready to tend to some paperwork before dinner. The perfect time for Roxas to intercept him. The old king stopped in his tracks, turning to face the young prince. He didn't look amused as his golden eyes bore into the young teen. Roxas hesitated a moment before bowing to the king, "I'm sorry for the interruption, but there's something I need to discuss with you, Sir."

Xehanort made an annoyed sound in the back of his throat, "As long as you make it quick." The king crossed his arms over his chest, a look of general boredom over his face.

Roxas gulped, suddenly wishing he had taken Reno up on his offer to come with him, "Umm…you see, I wanted to ask for your permission to move back into Axel's room."

"After what I walked into? No. I won't let you influence my son like that." Xehanort seemed set on his answer, "Before you bring up how I agreed to the marriage, yes I'm away I did sign the treaty and hosted the wedding, but I will never approve of you seducing Axel."

"Seducing?" Roxas couldn't help but feel offended over that, if anything Axel was the one courting him! "I've done no such thing! Our relationship developed from you pushing us together all the time." The prince couldn't try to act polite towards his hosting king now. Not after that accusation, "You're the one who forced Axel on me to consummate our marriage, you forced him to take care of me after he wounded me, and you're the one who took away his concubine. I've done nothing wrong here." Roxas seethed.

"Whatever the circumstances, I do not approve of your relationship with Axel. I'm only doing what the treaty asks to stop that war. Ifrit's laws still stand though."

"About that," Roxas interrupted, "I've talked to your priestess, Fang, and Axel's talked my priestess, Vanille, and both have told us that there is nothing wrong with our relationship. Ifrit blessed Axel for gods sake!" Roxas threw his arms up in frustration, "You've even acknowledged Ifrit's favoritism towards Axel. I don't understand what the problem is."

"And yet he had to be sent away because of said blessing." Xehanort scoffed, "I've had a long talk with my brother about this. We came to the collective conclusion that it is not a blessing but a curse. Why else would the boy not be able to control it? Surely Ifrit means to destroy you both. That's why he had to be sent away, so I could protect him from you."

Roxas couldn't help but be offended over that, "So you'd ignore what your god is trying to tell you and go against his wishes?"

Xehanort just sneered at the young prince, "And what would you know of Ifrit? You've followed Carbuncle your whole life, taught that my god and people were evil, the scum of the earth. And if memory serves right, it was your kingdom that tried to kill all of my children while they were visiting. I think it would be in everyone's best interest if you just stayed away."

The king turned to walk away, but Roxas wasn't going to have that. He could feel anger sweep over him and cloud his brain, "Are you sure about that?" he called to Xehanort's back, making the man stop in his tracks and look back at the blond. Roxas reached into his pocket and produced the letters, "If you really want me gone that bad I can always show these to my parents. Tell them I don't know who they're addressed to since I know I haven't sent them anything."

A dark shadow fell over Xehanort's face as he recognized what was in Roxas's hand, "And where have you been poking around to find those?" He all but growled.

"Where they came from and whom gave them to me isn't what's important here. What's important is that you're basically keeping me a prisoner for some war that's still going on in your head, and I will not let it just slide." Roxas had to put a lot of concentration into not shaking and to stop his voice from cracking under the king's gaze, "Unless you want me say otherwise and null the treaty, I suggest you bring Axel back, let me stay with him, and treat me like a human being and not like a burden." He real didn't feel like he was asking for much.

But apparently it was too much for Xehanort, "I will not cut Axel's training short for the likes of you. It's for his own good. But if you insist on acting like a harlot and will go as far to threaten me to get back in his bed, then be my guest."

"I'm not a harlot. I'm his husband. I have every right to be in there. And weren't you the one who wanted me to be your concubine? Don't think of my personality in a different light just because of your own intentions."

That didn't seem to faze Xehanort. If anything, it seemed to entice him, "You have spirit. I think I see what Axel does now." A shiver ran down Roxas's spine at the quip, "You may move back into his room for now." And with that the king left the frozen prince to finish his duties before dinner.


	24. Progress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so NaNo was a bust. Whoever had the bright idea to have it during the last month of school is a jerk -pouts- I have 9 projects due this month and I'm only taking 5 classes!
> 
> At least I managed to get this out before the end of the month lol
> 
> Enjoy!

"Again!" Saïx barked as Axel panted in exhaustion. They had arrived in Tenebris last week, and the prince's training had been relentless. Saïx would not cut him any breaks. He'd be up before the sun, not get a break until the sun was at its highest position and it became too hot to continue was the only time he would get a small break. Then his training would continue until night had blanketed the area and darkness made it too hard for them to continue. There were no days to take a break, and little time for sleep. It was running Axel ragged.

"Wait, I can't." Axel heavily breathed. He had to bend down so he could rest his palms on top of his thighs to catch some sort of rest for his aching body, "There's nothing left." He panted out. The field and targets around them smoldering with smoke rising all around them.

Saïx scowled at the redhead, "Really? I won't believe you until this whole field is a pile of ash. So, do it again."

Irritation flared through Axel's body. He just wanted to take a small break. Was that too much to ask for? Maybe if he burned Saïx to death he could finally have some peace and quiet. Maybe get to go home and see Roxas again.

Axel's temper suddenly dropped at the thought of the blond. He was here for Roxas. He needed to get his "blessing" under control so he wouldn't have to worry about hurting his husband again, or set their bed on fire.

Then his thoughts drifted to the last time he had seen Roxas. Axel was upset over his father sending him off last minute and telling people about his secret, so he went to the cabinet stashed away in his room that was filled with the finest whiskies from all over the lands. He managed to pass out in his stupor, only to remember when he woke up that someone needed to tell Roxas about his little trip. Still a bit more than buzzed, Axel had made himself to the blond. Roxas was just so tempting, and Axel had been deprived for so long that he couldn't resist.

Green eyes closed at the memory. The sadness and hurt in Roxas's eyes doused the fires inside Axel. He really had nothing more to give Saïx. He felt no rage to fuel him, "I can't." He sat on the ground and pulled at his hair in desperation. Was the only way to control himself was to picture Roxas hating him? It was a depressing thought, and Axel didn't know if he could live with that.

"Can't?" The attendant scoffed, "That's pathetic. The way Lord Xemnas and the King blew it up made it sound like you were some powerful force to be feared. But here you are, weak and pathetic. How someone like you made General is unknown to me."

Axel grit his teeth. How dare a low life like Saïx question his previous training. The redhead sprang up and went to charge Saïx, only to be reminded a bit too late that he was weaponless while the other man easily slung his claymore in between them. The sharp point would have impaled Axel, but no impact came. Instead a shimmer of fire covered the redhead's torso, protecting him from the counter attack.

"I knew you had more in you." Saïx pushed harder into Axel's defense, only to see sparks start to fly off his blade and the pointed end start to glow from the heat, "Now hold on to that." The blue haired man quickly pulled back, only to swing downwards. Axel managed to roll towards the left, dodging the strike. The grass under the redhead's feet.

A hot aura radiated off Axel, "Why are you doing this?" He growled, "I don't need your torment. I can just leave and go back home." He threw his hand out, sending a whip of fire towards Saïx, managing to land a hit on his trainer.

A fierce growl came from Saïx as he inspected his wound, "Nice shot. I want to see you do that again." And he struck at Axel again, resuming their training.

~X~x~X~x~

Night had finally fallen, and the small field was destroyed by fire, giving Axel a reason to leave and go to bed. His bones and muscles ached with every step he took. The prince felt like he wouldn't even make it back to the old cottage he was staying in.

Saïx had gone back to his separate housing about an hour before, giving Axel time to collect his emotions in peace. This time without the trainer around was Axel's favorite part of this training. He could sit outside for as long as he liked to enjoy the light breeze in the late summer air. But the sting of early fall made itself known and Axel would have to go back to his cottage.

He was just about to open the door to his temporary home when the sound of a snapping branch made him stop and quickly turn around. Standing in the pathway was a young girl. Her short blond hair was pulled back into matching pigtails. Her large eyes seemed to be focused on Axel, making the redhead shiver under their unusual look. While they seemed to be a normal shade of green, there were small black rings rippling across the iris.

"I knew you'd be here. Praise Atomos." The girl said. She bounced closer to Axel and gracefully bowed, "I'm Rikku. I look after the temple here."

Axel couldn't help but groan at that, "Another priestess? What is with you guys and always looking for me?" He leaned back against the door frame and gave the girl his full attention.

"Maybe it's because the Gods can feel something stirring and they need you to help them, and only us priestess can speak for them." The girl's smile turned sour, "As you should know, Atomos can send me small glimpses of what's to come." She waited for Axel to confirm his knowledge before continuing, "What he's shown me is troubling. There will be a war, for what reason I do not know, and it brings about an evil that the Gods have kept at bay for centuries now. If he gets loose, then the world as we know it could very well end."

"Okay, and what does that have to do with me? The only other priestess' I've talked to only had things to say about my marriage and the Gods shifting view points on some things. Now there's going to be a war over it?"

Rikku shook her head, "I never said it was because of your marriage. I'm not sure what it's going to be over, but what I do know is that you're going to be a playing factor over the darkness that threatens us. Prince Roxas too. We need both of you to help us."

"Okay?" Axel didn't sound convinced, but who was he to pass judgment on the words of a priestess? "if you can't tell me what's going to happen or how I can prevent it, then why are you telling me all of this? What can I possibly do?"

"You can prepare. Warn your father of that there's danger closer to him than he thinks."

Axel's brows scrunched up at that. Who was close to his father? The only person King Xehanort let himself get close to was his wife, Queen Lightening. After her passing the king closed himself up to everyone, even his own kids, "Sure, I'd make sure to tell him. Because he was so ready to listen to me about what Ifrit had said about my marriage." Axel could feel his body temperature start to rise, but nothing more than mere sparks flickered off his fingertips. That training really had wiped him out.

"Are you frustrated at me or your father?" Rikku asked with a tilt of her head and one of those annoying know-it-all smiles, "Must be hard to have the man you look up to so much think of you as a disgrace for loving another man."

But now Axel could feel his whole hand heat up. He clenched his fist as he tried to practice taking calming breaths that Saïx had showed him to help control his temper and powers, "I'd watch my tongue if I were you." He managed to growl out, "You may be a speaker of a god, but I don't follow Atomos. You'd best learn to properly talk to a prince."

The priestess quickly bowed, "I'm so sorry my prince. I spoke out of turn. But you must heed my warning." She tilted her head up so she could look at Axel with those ringed eyes, "Your father is in danger and you must stop it."

"But how? You're not making any sense. How can you tell me to protect my father from someone you don't even know? And what's this evil that the Gods have been keeping away?" Axel was growing irritated by the woman's ramblings. He just wanted to go inside and get some rest before he had to start his training all over again.

"It's not good to know too much of one's future, but I feel that some forewarning is necessary in this situation." Rikku stood up straight again, "I need to get back to the temple, but stop by and visit me one of these days, okay?" And with that the woman took her leave.

Once alone, Axel was finally able to get some food and rest. The redhead was still clumsy when it came to cooking his own food, he always had a servant at home or a soldier while he was out on the battle ground make his meals, but this week alone had made him learn some serious life skills. Axel smiled to himself as he thought about being able to make a meal from scratch for Roxas.

Axel put down his fork and frowned down at his meal. He missed everyone back in Ignis. Even his annoying siblings, but he missed a certain blond most of all. It was hard to only have contact with Saïx. The man was as chummy as a brick to the face. The complete opposite of his temperamental, easily irritable, and completely adorable husband.

Axel could feel something in him stir at the thought of Roxas. How the teen's lips felt against his, how he moaned under Axel's touch, hell even his taste. With a groan Axel stood from the small table. His pants were getting uncomfortably tight, but he didn't want to touch himself. He couldn't objectify Roxas like that. Not after what happened the last time they saw each other.

The prince paced back and forth through the small nook of the kitchen, trying to think of anything to get his problem to go down. He thought of anything and everything that was unsexy. Anything from ice cold dips in a stream to Reno in a thong. But Reno quickly morphed into Roxas. A very seductive Roxas who was spread out on Axel's silk sheets. His smile beckoning Axel towards him.

No, he couldn't do it. The prince's will held strong. He refused to put his husband in his fantasies, as weird as it sounded. He needed to make thing right between them before he could.

But maybe he could think of someone else in his place.

Roxas slowly faded and was replaced by Xion, wearing the small nighty that Axel almost always requested her to wear whenever he would have her come to his chambers. He pictured her on all fours, leaning down with her breast pressed against the bed, almost spilling out of the barely there top, and ass swaying in the air, begging Axel to just fuck her.

The redhead kept the image in his head as he kicked off his shoes and undid his pants. He stretched out on his small twin sized bed, ready to continue with his little fantasy. Xion was reaching for him, moaning out his name.

It should have been everything Axel needed to think of to help him get off, but Axel could feel himself slowly grow limp in his hold. He didn't want Xion, not like that anyway. With a grunt of annoyance, Axel completely kicked off his pants and pulled his shirt over his head, ready for bed. With a bitter thought Axel couldn't help but laugh, he did manage to take care of his problem without involving Roxas.

~X~x~X~x

Naminé passed uneasily up and down the long halls of Tact. Her hand gently caressing her slowly growing belly. Only a few more months until the baby would come, and the queen couldn't decide if she was more excited or scared for it to come. Her husband on the other hand couldn't curb his happiness.

King Cloud was ecstatic over the news of wife's pregnancy. He had hired construction workers to rebuild the room next to theirs into a quant nursery that connected to theirs through a new door. Naminé had excused herself and moved to another room down the hall for the time being so she wasn't surrounded by the reconstruction noises. Cloud had even started to interview for a nanny and wet nurse. Naminé should have been the one to do it, but the king wanted to be involved as much as he could, despite his wife's protests.

The queen was lost in her own thoughts as she paced around the castle. She wasn't paying attention to where she was going until she saw a familiar set of doors. Cloud's study. Naminé wasn't barred from entering, she had the freedom to go anywhere she wanted at any time she pleased, but the queen tried to refrain herself from going to one place she could always find her husband. But there was something she had been meaning to ask the man.

With a tentative knock Naminé waited for permission to enter. Once granted the woman walked into the room. Cloud sat at his desk, quill in hand as he signed documents or replied to letters, either way wasn't any of Naminé's concern.

"Naminé," Cloud fondly smiled at her, "What can I do for you?"

"Actually, I wanted to ask something of you." The queen stepped deeper into the room, securing the door close behind her. This wasn't a matter for others to hear.

Cloud put his quill down to give Naminé his full attention, a rare smile directed at her, "Anything for you." He stood up and approached his wife, gently touching her hand that was still resting on the growing bump.

Naminé could feel her stomach curl at how nervous she was feeling. She looked down at their eclipsing hands as she bit at her lower lip, "I…I was thinking about going back to Hibernis until the baby's born." She quickly said. Her eyes clenched closed as she waited for Cloud's answer.

When he never replied the queen peeked up. Cloud just looked down at her with a confused look on his face, "Why?" He finally said, "Are you not happy here?"

"N-no. I would just be more comfortable back home." Naminé pulled her hand out from under Clouds and gently traced his knuckles, "I miss my family and with everything going on here I think it would be less stressful for me if I was somewhere else. Just for now."

"Is it really that bad? We can put a hold on the construction or anything else that's bothering you."

"It's not, but I just feel like I need to go for a short while."

Cloud shook his head, making his blond bangs fall in his face, "I still can't let you do that." Naminé opened her mouth to protest but the king interrupted her, "You are carrying my child, a royal baby. If a bandit ever got a hold of you, they could hold you hostage and I'd be forced to comply. You should stay here where you're protected and can stay safe."

"That's the problem. I just feel so trapped here. These walls have become my prison. I need to leave and see the world, get some fresh air. This could be my last chance before the baby arrives, and then it will be a long time before I'd be able to leave again." Naminé begged. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she refused to cry. She wouldn't let someone blame her grief on nothing more than her raising hormones.

Surprisingly though, Cloud did nothing more than pull the small girl into a light hug, "I'm sorry you feel that way." He muttered into her hair. His hands gently rubbed up and down her back. The king could feel his wife tremble as she tried to compose herself, "But you must understand this is for your own good. If you miss your family that much I can send word to them and they can come visit. Maybe one of your brothers could stay with you for the rest of your pregnancy."

"I don't want just one brother, I want to see my mother and talk to her about what she experienced. I need a woman's touch, and I just can't get that here." She pushed back from Cloud so she could properly look up at him, "I'm scared."

"I'm sorry Naminé, but I just can't. If you need I can find a woman you can talk to or request your mother to come for a short while, but I won't let you leave." He couldn't help but feel hurt over how hard the queen was fighting him on the matter, "Is something wrong? Did I do something to upset you?"

Guilt ate away at the queen. It felt like the small baby inside her was trying to claw its way out of her abdomen and spill the truth out for her, "Its nothing you did. I just can't be here right now."

"Can't or won't?" The king sounded accusing. Naminé hesitated. Did he know? "Look, I'm sorry, but my word still stands. Anyone you want can come here, but you're not leaving."

"But-" Namine went to argue but was quickly shushed by Cloud.

"No buts. We've been trying to conceive for years Nami. If anything were to happen to you, to our baby, that could be it. You might not be able to carry another again."

"It wasn't my fault we couldn't conceive before." The words slipped from Naminé's lips faster than she could catch them.

Cloud stuttered at that. His pride taking a blow from the accusation, "What…? What's your proof?" His hand went back to the small bump, "If it's my fault then how is this here?"

"Because it's not yours!" The queen all but yelled. Then in a calmer voice, "At least I don't think…" She pushed the hand off her and took a step back. Tears now flowing free down her cheeks. Her head hung low making bangs covered her face, "I'm sorry." She managed to mutter out when Cloud said nothing.

"Get out." He finally growled. Refusing to look at his wife.

Not needing to be told twice, Naminé scurried out as fast as she could. Not daring to look back

~X~x~X~x~

Roxas collapsed on his bed. His body screamed at him as it ached. It had been two months since Vanitas took Roxas under his wing, but the younger prince felt like he was miles away from being as good as Vanitas.

But now he had all the time in the world to nap and rest. He was back in Axel's room. No longer the original room that he was familiar with, but the smell of his husband and his knick knacks that lingered helped him adjust to the unfamiliar environment and helped lull him to sleep at night. Just the knowledge that Axel would come back one day helped curve the loneliness and took away some of the pain in his chest that kept him up at night.

Blue eyes were slowly starting to close when a loud bang hit his door. Someone continued to violently pound at the door until, with an annoyed groan, Roxas got out of bed to answer it. A guard stood in front of him, his armor showing him to be an elite, "The king has summoned you to his throne room. Follow me." He sounded annoyed, all those years of training and he gets assigned to fetch whoever the king wishes to see.

The guard opened the door leading to the throne room. The king sat in his magnificent throne, a displeased look on his face. In front of him stood three out of his four children. Roxas was ushered towards the princes and princess. There they stood, anxious to see why they had been summoned, and by the looks of the king it couldn't be anything good.

"Good, you're all here." Xehanort's straight posture seemed to stiffen more and he coldly gazed down at the four. His tone was cold and cut to the point, "King Cloud has reached out to me about a travesty that has befallen his family. Now I need to ask some questions and I expect complete honesty from all of you." He waited for all of them to nod in understanding before continuing, "During the wedding, Queen Naminé stayed a few days later than she should have, did anyone notice her acting a strange in any way?"

Roxas bit his lip. The Tacet queen was acting strange around him after he saw her sneak out of Vanitas' room. Not to mention how she all but avoided Roxas after the incident. She almost seemed guilty of something. But should he say anything? Blue eyes glanced over at the dark prince. But what if it was just a misunderstanding and by saying something he ruined his friendship with the other prince.

"She seemed a bit on edge," Reno finally spoke up, "But that doesn't seem very odd seeing as she was here without her husband."

"But why was she here without him?" Xehanort quickly rebutted. He was up to something, Roxas could tell. He wanted to bate them, "She personally requested to me that she stay a couple extra days. If being without her husband would make her so uncomfortable then why go out of her way to request that?"

"Father, what's going on with Queen Naminé?" Vanitas asked, "Did something happen to her while she was here." There was something in the prince's inflection that made Roxas think that Vanitas was worried about the queen, "Is there something wrong with her baby?"

The cold smirk on Xehanort's face. He apparently heard what he needed to, "Who ever said anything about her baby? I was just asking about how Queen Naminé acted while she's here. It's also out of your character to care about something as trivial as a woman's pregnancy."

Vanitas quickly looked away. He seemed a bit on edge from what his father had said. Looking at the prince, the pieces started to fall into place for Roxas. He had been so distracted by his own topsy-turvy life that he hadn't noticed the obvious signs.

"There's a question in the baby's paternity. King Cloud has reached out to me to figure out who the rightful father is. And judging by what I just heard, I think I have my answer. You may all be dismissed. Vanitas, you stay." With respectful bows Reno, Kairi, and Roxas took their leave, not wanting to hang behind and hear Vanitas' fate.

"Do you really think Vani did something like that?" Kairi innocently asked as she held onto Reno's sleeve. Her big, blue eyes looking up at her brother, "I mean, what's going to happen if it's true? Is Vanitas going to be taken away?"

Reno stopped walking in favor of hugging the girl to him, "Vanitas didn't do anything. Father is just on a wild goose chase because of some Tacet drama. Don't worry about it, okay Kai?" He felt the girl shallowly nod her head into his chest. With a sad smile he patted her head, then looked towards Roxas, "Right, Roxas?"

"Umm…yeah. I have complete faith in Vanitas." The words clumsily spilt from the blond's mouth as he hurried to back up the redhead. He wouldn't dare express his own thoughts on the subject. He couldn't do that to his new family. Not when he had grown to be very close friends with Vanitas over the last few months of training, not to mention all the time he spent around Kairi and Reno as well. Whatever trouble Queen Naminé had found herself in was her own problem as far as Roxas was concerned, "King Xehanort will come to his senses soon and release whatever punishment he gives to your brother." He tried to reassure the upset princess.

Reno gave Roxas an appreciative smile over his sister's head. They both knew that this wouldn't end well.

~X~x~X~x~

The glow of the moon light the room as Roxas went to bed. It had been a long day. After his private meeting with the king, Vanitas had sought Roxas out for some more training to help edge out his aggression and frustrations. So, the already tired blond went back outside and continued his swordsmanship.

But now it was officially time to go to bed. Roxas couldn't wait to sleep. After missing his afternoon nap, the prince was completely exhausted.

He had just crawled into his bed, making care to not trespass on Axel's side, he didn't want what little of the redhead's scent remained to vanish from his careless rolling around. He hadn't heard anything about the redhead's training since August. He would have sent letters, but Xehanort refused to tell him where exactly Axel was. If he sent them to the royal family, there would be no guarantee that they'd help Roxas out and deliver them. He would just have to wait until his husband returned before he could talk to him. The thought left a sour taste in Roxas's mouth. He never imagined he could miss Axel this much.

Blue eyes slowly started to slip closed. Roxas was fully relaxed into the bed, quickly falling asleep. The sound of the door creaking open or feel the presence of someone walking towards him. No, Roxas was in a deep sleep; dreaming of the day he would finally be ruined with Axel and possibly leaving Ignis with the redhead.

A light touch along the teen's jaw made him flinch and turn away. His nose scrunched up as his body fought for sleep. The touches grew stronger as they traveled lower. Roxas groaned as he tried to roll away. Not realizing the cold, unfamiliar touch was sneaking up his shirt.

"Wha…?" Blurry eyes opened as Roxas tried to wake himself up. He fidgeted away from the touch only to be pulled back, "Off!" The room was too dark to see, but Roxas wanted the stranger away. This had to be a night terror. That could be the only explanation, "I said leave me alone!" Roxas dug his fingernails into invading wrist as he tried to push it off of him.

"Stop squirming boy." A harsh voice growled, "It's time you learned your place in this kingdom."

Roxas knew that voice, but his foggy mind couldn't place it, "Place?" Roxas tried to sit up, but was roughly pushed down. One of the offending hands went after Roxas's lose fitting pants (he had borrowed them out of Axel's side of the wardrobe), but Roxas managed to push that way, "No!" He crawled to the other side of the bed. His heart beating erratically in his chest. His eyes finally adjusted to the low moonlight and he was able to make out golden eyes and a sharp, hunched over body, "Xehanort." He gasped. The king didn't seem bothered as he climbed onto the bed and pinned the scared prince under him.

"You may be a prince, but you were traded off as nothing more than a whore." Xehanort stated, "You can argue your marriage, but it was nothing but a formality. You were given to my son to be his property. He needs nothing more than your body. He doesn't need your love." The last word spat out of the man's mouth like a bitter taste, "And until you learn your place as nothing more than his concubine, I'll just have to teach you."

"I'll tell my father." Roxas quickly said as he was pinned. He could feel his breathing speed up and his vision go hazy, "He'll null the treaty. Is that what you want?"

The king laughed at that, "And start the war back up? Do you really want to be the reason for starting the mindless killing again? Every fallen soldier's blood will be on your hands. You may as well take credit for vigilantes that burn down enemy towns. Do you really want that, Roxas?" Xehanort breathed into the teen's ear, making him shiver in fear "Or will you stop being foolish and playing games with my son's feelings?"

"I can't help Axel's feelings." Roxas spat as he looked away, blue eyes glaring at the bedspread, "What would you expect me to do?" He tried to wiggle away, only to have his hips pinned by the older man's knees.

"He'll realize how wrong he's been. Just don't encourage him anymore."

Roxas would say anything to get out from under the man, he found himself in this position more times than once, and he was getting irritated at himself for it. He wanted to buck the king off, but his tired limbs wouldn't allow it, "I won't."

"Say you're a whore." The king was getting some weird kick out of this power play, Roxas could feel it from where Xehanort's hips had him pinned.

Roxas swallowed down whatever dignity he had left, "I'm a whore. Nothing more than a pawn to be used." The blond said. His eyes closed to stop tears from coming out.

Xehanort smirked at that. He didn't expect the prince to break so easily. He was a little disappointed at that, but a deal's a deal. The king slid off the bed, "And don't forget it. I'll know if you give Axel anything more than your body." He walked out the room, leaving a broken prince in his wake.

Roxas curled in on himself. He unashamedly cried himself to sleep, clinging to Axel's pillow. When would Axel return and save him from the psychotic king?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might not have written it well enough, but there's time skips in this chapter. I feel like I was just being inconsisten but yeah xD 3 months worth of story crammed into this chapter.
> 
> There's only going to be 3 or so more chapters left in this story, then I'm gonna start working on the sequel :3 it'd be cool if I can get this done by the end of the year lol but no promises


	25. Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it's finally done! Thank you everyone who stuck through this fic and I hope to see you all in the sequel!   
> Super fluff warning ahead! You have been warned. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Snow crunched under Roxas’s feet as he steadied his footing, waiting for the next blow aimed at him. Vanitas stood in front of the blond, holding his sword low with his arms pointed straight at the ground. Puffs of air rapidly came out of the older prince’s mouth as he tried to catch his breathe. The temperature had dropped since they had started their training, ushering all the bystanders into the castle, leaving the two princes alone in the field. 

“Tired already?” Roxas goaded as he rocked back and forth on his feet, trying to get some tension out of his body, “Never thought I’d see the day.” Roxas was about to let out a laugh, but was interrupted as he yelped and jumped out of the way of Vanitas’s blade, “Okay, not tired.” And the two broke out into an intense fight. Swords clashed together as the pair skidded around the field. After a few minutes of the fight, Roxas lost his footing on the slippery ground. The bond landed on the snow-covered ground with a painted grunt. 

A pointed edge came to rest on the teen’s clavicle, “Not in the slightest.” Vanitas said with a smirk. Roxas had noticed over the last few weeks that Vanitas had gotten more aggressive in their training. Roxas noticed that Vanitas would talk to his father in the king’s office, only to storm out and drag Roxas out for some impromptu sparing. 

“So, any word on Queen Naminé’s condition?” Roxas cautiously asked as he stood from the cold ground. As of now, Vanitas was officially a possibility candidate for the Tacet heir, but the new-found knowledge of the queen and prince’s affair had been kept under wraps between the two countries until the babe’s birth. Until the paternity could be determined everything was going to be hidden away. And it was driving Vanitas mad.

Vanitas grumbled to himself and slashed at the air, “Nothing. I keep asking Father for any updates, but he refuses.” His slashes got closer to Roxas, forcing the blond to doge and block the attacks, “it’s like he thinks I’m a child and this is my punishment for misbehaving.” Another swing arched over Roxas’s head, aimed for his left shoulder. 

Roxas hesitated a moment too long before stepping out of the way. Sharp steel ripped through flimsy fabric. Roxas hissed as he inspected the rip, “Fuck, almost got me.” The blond laughed. There was no blood, not even a nick. Roxas had truly gotten lucky, “just think if I hadn’t moved fast enough, you would have ripped right through me.” The younger prince laughed. 

Vanitas let him self chuckle at that, “Ugh and can you just imagine how Axel would react if he came home and you were missing an arm? God he’d tear me to pieces.”

The laugher died. Roxas looked away from Vanitas. The past couple of months had put a strain on Roxas. It was understandable, no word had come from Axel or Saïx, and it was starting to wear on the young prince’s nerves. He couldn’t shake a feeling that something wrong was going to happen, if it already didn’t, “He’d turn you into a pile of ash.” Roxas managed to weakly laugh out. With a tired sigh Roxas weakly toyed with his sword, “I…I think I’m going to go back inside.” Vanitas agreed that it was getting late and the two made their way back to the armory to put up their weapons and light armor.

“I was thinking tomorrow we can work on my close range- Ah!” Roxas yelped as his feet slid out from underneath him. The blond groaned in pain as he tried to push himself up off the hidden patch of ice, only to cry out when he put pressure on his hand.

“Fuck! Are you okay?” Vanitas knelt next to Roxas to inspect for any injury. He gingerly grabbed Roxas’s wrist and played around with the fragile bones, making the blond hiss, “This doesn’t feel right. Come on, lets get you to the infirmary.” The older prince went to help the younger up but stopped when a faint glow caught his attention. The small pin Roxas had dutifully kept on display since the execution began to shimmer. The amethyst in the middle of the tiny dragon’s forehead began to glow along with the eyes. Vanitas would later say it was a trick of the overcast sun, but he could have sworn Carbuncle had come alive in the pin. 

A comforting light traveled from Roxas’s chest and down his arm, until it was able to circle around the boy’s injured wrist. Roxas gasped in surprise at the warmth that numbed his wrist and mended his bones. Once done the light traveled back to the pin, the light coming from the amethyst dying down back to its original color.

“What kind of magic was that?” Vanitas’s golden eyes were glued to the pin, “Did it...?”

“It fixed my wrist.” Roxas blandly said, “And took some of my energy.” He observed. What little energy Roxas had had prior to the fall was now gone. He twisted his writs around to check the mobility. No pain. He quickly undid the pin and brought it close to his face to inspect it, “Magic?” The blond furrowed his brows. It was nothing but a family heirloom, passed down from king to king. If there was any kind of magic in it, it would have been known, “That’s impossible. It’s nothing more but a pin.” 

“Well…put it back on.” Vanitas said. Roxas did as he was told, “Okay now hold still.” The older prince leveled his sword.

“Wh-what are you doing?”

“Seeing if it works.” And Vanitas swung down. 

Roxas managed to roll out of the way in time to miss the attack, “What the fuck!?” The younger prince cried as he rubbed snow out of his hair, “You were really going to chop me up!” Roxas pushed himself off the ground, giving Vanitas a betrayed look.

“Well, yeah.” Vanitas ruffled the hair on the back of his head, “I mean, how else are we going to test it?”

“Maybe by not taking my arm clean off?” Roxas scoffed as he finished brushing the powdered snow off him. He grabbed his own sword off the ground, “Maybe we can just,” And Roxas slit his palm. They waited…and waited, “Nothing? So, not the pin?” 

“Maybe it’s only if it’s a severe injury? I mean, you’ve hurt yourself a few times during training while wearing it.” The raven prince eyed his sword again, “Worth a try?”

“How about no. I’m not suicide enough for that. Lets just wait and see, I guess?” 

“If you’re sure.”

“I am.” Roxas glared at Vanitas, “Unless you want to wear it and I chop you up.”

Vanitas held his hands up in surrender, “Okay, point taken. I promise to not attack and mortally injure you.”

“That’s what I thought.” Roxas laughed as they made their way to the armory to put their things away. On their way back into the castle they heard a commotion near the entrance. Weary eyes met before they silently agreed to run and see what was going on.

Horses and solders crowded the courtyard. As the princes got closer Roxas could make out an excited looking Kairi and a familiar white horse. Zephyr! Roxas ran away from Vanitas and rushed into the crowd. He could feel his heart start to pound as he searched through the throng of people. There in the middle of the busy courtyard was a tall man with flaming red hair with his back facing the prince.

“Axel!” Roxas ran up to the main and hugged him from behind. The harsh impact made the taller man grunt. Axel turned, careful to not break Roxas’s hold on him and wrapping his arms around the smaller prince, “You’re back!” Roxas couldn’t hide his smile as he looked up at the man.

“I’m home.” The redhead smiled back. The two lost themselves in their own little world. Roxas’s fists balled into the taller man’s shirt. Almost like if he let go Axel would disappear. 

“Sure that’s a good idea?” A feminine voice whispered near the two, making them break apart. Kairi swooped in and pulled Axel into a bone crushing hold, “How dare you just up and leave us like that!” The young girl curled into her brother, “Woke up and you were just gone. And no word for four months!” She pulled away to wipe away some fallen tears, “You’re a jerk. You know that?”

Axle couldn’t suppress his laugh as he patted the young girl’s head, successfully messing her hair up, “Father just wanted it that way. He thought it would be best if I didn’t have any kind of distraction.” He gave Roxas a sideways glance, “Or else I would have written you. Did you behave while I was gone?” The crowd around the trio started to dissipate once all of Axel’s belongings were emptied and brought back into the castle.

Kairi pouted up at her older brother, “For the most part. Xion’s been keeping a good eye on me and wouldn’t let me ‘do anything that’s unlady-like.’” Roxas felt his stomach turn at the mention of the ex-concubine. Xion was the main reasons Roxas didn’t spend any time with Kairi over the past few months. The blond’s guilt-ridden expression was caught by the two siblings, “It was hard to ditch her and get some time to myself, but I guess that’s what she’s there for, huh.”

“But it must be nice to have someone waiting on you hand and foot. My parents didn’t want me and my brothers to have that kind of luxury. They said the current servants were enough.” Roxas smiled at the thought of home. He had been sending and receiving letters from Ventus, who had reported to absolutely nothing of importance going on back in Lamina. Sora was officially trained up enough to be in the army and was learning a lot from studying under his father, while Ventus’s own studies under Merlin seemed to be paying off. His parents were healthy and happy. 

“It’s pretty suffocating actually.” Kairi laughed, “Can’t go flirt with the soldiers anymore, or sneak out and explore the town.”

Axel grunted in irritation, “Both of which you shouldn’t be doing. It’s disrespectful to Prince Terra, and dangerous.” The man glared at his sister, “Maybe giving Xion to you was a good idea. We should also consider a personal guard or something to keep you in line.”

“Hey!” Roxas elbowed his husband in the ribs, getting a satisfactory grunt of pain in return, “Don’t make it sound like you wanted to keep Xion and willingly gave her up. You might make me jealous.” It was meant to sound like a joke, but everyone knew it was true. Axel and Xion had a bond that Roxas would never be able to replace.

A warm hand rubbed up and down the blond’s back in apology, “Sorry. But I’m serous, Kairi you better start acting with some dignity, or I’ll tell Reno what you’ve been up to. And you know how he’ll react.” He scolded, making the girl look away ashamed. 

“Sorry.” Kairi apologized, “But can you blame me? I only flirt, nothing more. It helps cope with the fact that in a year I’ll be tied down to a man I know I’ll never love.” She looked close to tears at the thought of her betrothed, “I don’t like feeling so trapped.”

Both men frowned and exchanged a look. With a heavy sigh the smaller prince spoke up, “I feel the same way.” He ignored the shocked and hurt look he got from Axel, “It’s hard to be uprooted from everything you know and placed in the mercy of someone you barely know. But you’re a strong woman. It’s not fair, but you’ll make it work somehow.”

Kairi looked between the two men, a small, sad smile, “Like how you two did?” Her smile grew at the blush that formed on both men’s faces, “If only I could be so lucky.”

“It’s a lot of hard work. Not just luck.” Axel put his opinion in, “And you’re not a quitter.”

“Yeah…I guess.” The princess sighed in defeat. No sense in fighting against her fate, “I’m going to go find Xion. Poor girl is probably going hysterical not knowing where I am. Welcome back Axel! And happy birthday!” And Kairi disappeared into the dwindling crowd and back into the castle.

“It’s your birthday?” Roxas looked up to the redhead with a raised brow, “When were you going to tell me that?”

Axel started to lead the two out of the cold and into the warm indoors, “You mean you didn’t already know? Geez worst husband of the year.” The redhead poked Roxas in the side, making the blond wiggle away from the assault.

“Get real! Like you even know my birthday.”

Axel folded his arms across his chest in thought as the two walked down the halls, “Hmm…well you were eighteen when we got married, still eighteen, right?” Green eyes drifted to the side to see the confirmed nod, “So that means your birthday is in the spring.”

“Yes. But what month and day.” Roxas teased as they stopped in front of their bedroom door, “I know yours is December eleventh. Come on, you’re in running for worst husband of the year now.”

Axel leaned against the door, blocking Roxas from entering, “But you only found out because of Kairi. That doesn’t seem fair to me.”

“Well, if you’d like, we can always move to Lamina and you can ask one of my brothers. Fair is fair.” Roxas looked around to make sure that no one was around before heavily leaning on the taller man and stealing a long-awaited kiss. He expected to be kissed and held back, but what he got was Axel freezing under his touch and slightly pulling away, “Axel?”

“About last time.” The man gently pushed Roxas off him, “I’m sorry. There’s no excuse about how I acted.”

“You were drunk and distressed.” The younger prince tried to defend the actions, even if he knew how wrong it really was.

Axel just shook his head and opened the bedroom door, “And it still shouldn’t have happened. I just wanted to tell you I would be leaving, but when I saw you there.” He hesitated, “I don’t know. I just couldn’t control myself. Maybe it would be best if you just went back to your room. I’ll see you later. Promise.” And the older prince closed the door.

Roxas’s face scrunched up in frustration. He wanted to spend time with Axel and straighten things out. Just like Axel had told Kairi, making their marriage work took a lot of hard effort. So he knocked on the door and waited. When no answer came he knocked again. Then again. When he was continuously ignored the blond started to bang on the door, making sure Axel could hear and was hopefully getting annoyed with the loud noises. 

The door swung open to reveal an angry looking Axel, “Go to your room Roxas.” He growled.

“Yeah, I am.” Roxas pushed Axel aside and let himself into the room, “Are you going to close the door?” He called over his shoulder as he sat down in a plush reading chair. 

“What?” Axel shook his head in confusion, but closed the door anyway. He slowly walked towards the blond, who had a mischievous smile on his face, “What did you do?”

“Hmm…nothing much. Just pointed out to your father that my father wouldn’t like to hear about my current living situation.” The blond said with a shrug. In his confusion Axel had wondered a bit too close to Roxas, allowing the blond to snatch his arm and pull him close. With a grunt of surprise Axel almost toppled on top of Roxas, just barely managing to catch himself on the armrests. Leaving their faces inches apart. 

“Roxas.” Axel said in a warning tone as he tried to pull away, only to be stopped by his shirt collar being grabbed and pulled down until his lips met Roxas’s.

“Just shut up and stop overthinking and let me enjoy having you home.” The blond muttered against his husband’s lips, “Now are you going to kiss me or are you going to keep stewing in your angst.” Instead of answering, Axel did just what Roxas asked. To temporarily forget everything bad that has happened to them and enjoy the warmth of his blond, “Happy birthday, Axel. And welcome home.”

~X~x~X~x~

The two managed to break apart long enough for Axel to take a quick shower and for them to grab a bite to eat, the two princes found themselves walking around out on the palace grounds. The only sound around them was the crunch of snow as they walked through the dead garden and towards a thicket of evergreens. 

“So,” Roxas said, breaking the silence, “What do you want for your birthday? Its getting late, so I don’t think I can go out and buy you something today, but maybe tomorrow. Or I can go and see if I can talk the chefs into making you your favorite dinner.”

“I’ve never been one for gifts.” Axel admitted. The stopped on the edge of the forest, “After Mom died,” The redhead hesitated, but was egged on by Roxas grabbing his hand and giving it an encouraging squeeze, “I don’t know. She was more involved with us that Father was. After her death, birthdays just never seemed to be a big deal. We would throw huge feasts and give presents for Kairi, but for the rest of us? Maybe a small gift here or there from maybe Reno or a nanny. Hell, the only reason my training ended, and I got home on the same day as my birthday is a complete coincidence.”

Roxas frowned at that. He heavily leaned on Axel and rested his head on the man’s shoulder, “Well I plan on changing that.” Birthdays were something to be celebrated. Back in Lamina, Queen Terra would spend months planning a grand celebration for her sons. Not doing anything just felt wrong to the blond, “Give me two hours. Meet me back here. ‘Kay?” 

“Okay?” Axel gave Roxas an unsure look, but allowed the blond to pull away from him and run back to the castle. 

Roxas rushed through the halls, looking for the one person who could help him. The blond found himself standing outside of Kairi’s room. His hand rose and ready to knock, but he couldn’t. His pride wouldn’t let him do this one thing. 

“Can I help you?” A quiet voice said, startling Roxas. The blond quickly turned around to face the girl he was too prideful to talk to.

“Xion.” His had to clear his throat to push down how nervous he was, “I…I have a favor to ask you.” The words were said through clenched teeth as Roxas tried to push down his pride.

The girl tilted her head to the side and regarded the uncomfortable prince with a kind smile, “What about m’lord?” 

Roxas walked away from the door and rubbed the back of his head, “I…” He had to take in a deep breath in and slowly released it, “I want to do something for Axel for his birthday.”

“Like what?” 

This was going to be the hardest part for Roxas to admit, “I’m not sure what to do.” His face turned scarlet with embarrassment, “I was thinking about getting the cooks to make him his favorite food for dinner, but I don’t know what his favorite food is. And I want to get him something, but he can already have anything he wants.”

Xion couldn’t help but giggle at the young prince, earning her a harsh glare, “I’m sorry, but you have nothing to feel embarrassed or threatened about. I’d be happy to help you out.” The girl led Roxas away from Kairi’s door and down the hall so they could talk in a more private manor, “Axel likes roast beef. Maybe with a side of fluffy biscuits and some veggies would be good. I don’t think having it cooked for dinner would be a promising idea though. Maybe go somewhere private. I know he’d prefer to spend some time with you instead of his family.” The young girl smiled up at Roxas, “I’m sure he missed you the most while he was away.”

Roxas nodded his head, considering Xion’s opinion. A private fest with Axel sounded nice. But where could they go that no one would be able to see or find them? Especially Xehanort. If the old king found out Roxas and Axel were unofficially courting one another he would no be pleased, “Yeah. I like that. But what about a present? I don’t feel comfortable going to town alone, and to find an escort and keep my reasons for why I’d like to go hidden would take too long.”

Xion gave Roxas a kind smile and patted him on the shoulder, “Oh, Roxas, you’re the present.” The blond flattered at that. His blush growing more as he thought about the girl’s words, making her laugh again, “Not like that. Just, being with you would be enough or him. Axel’s not really a materialistic man. Sure, if he has something, he’d like the finest quality, but ownership of things isn’t what’s important. Axel has always wanted a meaningful relationship. Give him that and it would be the greatest gift anyone could ever give him.”

“But he had you for that. I can’t give him anything new.” Roxas glared at a painting on the wall like it had spat on him and insulted his mother. He didn’t want this conversation to happen, but he had already asked the lady-in-waiting for her help, so it had to happen.

“Axel and I didn’t have a relationship. It was an unconventional for sure, but we’ve been nothing more than friends. I’ve known him my whole life and he’s like a brother to me.”

“Girls don’t sleep with their brothers.” Roxas bitterly spat out, earning an annoyed glare from Xion.

With a heavy sigh the girl bit out, “Is that what this about? Are you jealous I used to have sex with Axel?” She didn’t wait for an answer and kept talking, “Because that was before your marriage, before you ever met and only knew each other by name alone. We haven’t done anything in almost seven months for crying out loud!” Xion side-stepped so she was standing in front of Roxas, forcing the blond to stop walking and look at her, “When he left, Axel didn’t stop to see anyone, but I’d bet what’s in the royal vault that he made sure to see you. He only has eyes for you, Roxas. When are you going to stop being so insecure about his past relationships and see that?”

Roxas bit his tongue. He didn’t want to admit what had happened between him and Axel on the last night they saw each other, “So dinner somewhere secluded. But how will we keep people from looking for us?”

An almost dark smile crossed the girl’s face, “Leave that to me. I’ll make sure you two are left completely alone.” Roxas didn’t want to know what kind of excuses the girl had up her sleeve, and frankly, he didn’t care. All that mattered was he knew what to do now.

~X~x~X~x~

Shadows stretched across the yard. Axel diligently stood where he and Roxas had arranged to meet, eagerly waiting for his husband to return. He kicked a pile of snow and pulled his scarf closer to his nose to block out the winter air. He was never a huge fan of the cold.

“Axel!” Roxas ran up to the redhead, large basket hanging from the crook of his elbow and bouncing off his hip with every step. He stopped in front of the taller man with an excited look on his face, “Ready?”

“For what?” The redhead wrapped his arm around Roxas, sneaking some warmth from the boy as he was lead deeper into the woods. He eyed the swaying basket and couldn’t help the curiosity. What could have Roxas prepared for him? The lanky arm wrapped around Roxas’s waist reached a bit, his fingers just barely able to flip the lid open enough so he could peek behind the blond’s back.

Roxas swayed to the side a bit, putting the basket out of the man’s reach, “And what do you think you’re doing?”

Axel hid his pout behind his scarf, “Nothing.” His words muffled from under the scarf.

The two continued on their walk. Getting farther and farther away from the palace and any kind of civilization. As they walked Roxas kept a keen eye open for any prime spots for them to settle. Axel on the other hand kept himself busy with telling the blond of his time in Tenebris and his strange encounters with the priestess, Rikku. During their conversations the two found a nice clearing where Roxas finally showed Axel what he had hidden in his basket. 

“You didn’t have to do all of this.” Axel said in aw as he looked at the spread. The fact that his favorite foods were included did not go unnoticed and was greatly appreciated. 

Roxas hummed as he straightened out the blanket, fidgeting under the man’s gaze, “It was nothing. I wanted to do something for you.” He looked up, catching those green eyes with his, “I know you don’t care about your birthday, so how about it’s a welcome home present?” Roxas stood up and smiled at the redhead and hugged him around the waist. Content in the privacy they had found, “I really did miss you.”

Strong, warm arms circled around the young prince and pulled him close, “It felt like forever. Saïx makes crappy company.” Axel rubbed his nose into blond spikes, inhaling the familiar scent, “Did everyone treat you okay while I was gone? Weren’t bullied too bad, were you?” Axel pulled away, holding Roxas at arm’s length, almost like he was looking for any signs of abuse. When none were found Axel released to boy.

Roxas shivered at the thought of being pinned down by Xehanort, how he was treated less than his title, and letters addressed to him being taken from him, “I’ve been hanging out with Vanitas mostly. He’s been training me.” The blond looked up and caught Axel’s questioning gaze. The youngest Ignis prince was not known for offering his help to others, or reaching out to make a friend, “I was mad when you left. He offered to train me, so I can properly kick your ass once you came back.” 

Axel crossed his arms over his chest and gave his husband a cocky grin, “You think you can best me?” 

Roxas bit his lower lip to hide a smile and shook his head, “That’s for me to know and for you to find out.” 

A laugh escaped Roxas as he was pulled towards Axel, then silenced with a deep kiss. Warm hands held his hips and pulled him closer, “Well that was easy.” The redhead muttered in the shorter teen’s ear, “Your reflexes are still too slow.” He nipped at Roxas’s lobe, earning a gasp from the blond.

“No fair!” Roxas whined as he tried to squirm away from Axel’s lips and exploring fingers. His coat had been pushed open and surprisingly warm fingers started to trace the skin that was exposed between the hems of Roxas’s shirt and pants, “And will you stop?” He grabbed the redhead by the face and pushed him away, “The food’s going to get cold. Let’s eat.” The two managed to separate long enough for Roxas to make them plates of food, while Axel gathered some wood to start a comfortable fire. As they ate, Axel and Roxas made some small talk, but neither could ignore the radiating tension between them. Xion’s words echoed in Roxas’s head. Axel has always wanted a meaningful relationship. Give him that and it would be the greatest gift anyone could ever give him. 

It wasn’t what she had meant, but Roxas knew to give Axel that, he would have to show the redhead that he trusts him. 

The sun was almost down, and Roxas couldn’t help but study his husband in the low fire’s glow. The shadows emphasized the Axel’s sharp, strong chin. The mischievous glint in those deep, green eyes. And those mysterious tattoos darkened, highlighting his already pale skin. Roxas could feel his heart violently thump in his chest as he watched the man eat. He didn’t even realize he had stopped eating his own food until Axel gave him a questioning look. 

“I’m not that hungry.” Roxas admitted as he put his plate down, “But please, continue. The journey back must have been tiering.” The blond faltered at that. Had he overlooked Axel’s exhaustion? What if the man didn’t want to come out to the middle of nowhere in the freezing cold? “I’m sorry.” 

Axel cocked an eyebrow at that. Roxas looked miserable, “For what?” He asked around a mouth full of meat. He frowned as Roxas avoided looking at him. Quickly, Axel placed his food to the side and slid over to Roxas. He pulled the blond to his side, nuzzling into the teen’s neck, making Roxas scream and try to squirm away from the sudden cold touch, “Quit looking so glum.” 

“Just over thinking.” Roxas admitted. He heavily leaned into Axel’s side, “Are you fine out here? Or do you want to go back? I feel like I dragged you out here when you really wanted to just go to bed and relax.” 

“I am relaxed.” And to prove his point, Axel wrapped his arms around Roxas and forced the blond to lay down with him on the blanket, making sure to move their food and drinks out of the way, “See? This is just where I’d like to be.” He handled Roxas so the teen was laying comfortably on him. Snow fell from the trees, landing softly on top of them. Roxas groaned and tried to burrow into Axel’s sternum to hide from the cold, “Hey, warm enough in there?” 

“Mmhmm.” Roxas hummed. His cold fingers slipped under Axel’s jacket and shirt, carefully rubbing the smooth skin underneath. He had missed how warm Axel’s skin could get. He could also appreciate the fact that the redhead didn’t shiver or try to pull away from the cold touches. Roxas could tell Axel didn’t like the cold, going off all the layers he was wearing, “Just need you to stay like this.” He managed to wiggle his hands farther up the shirt, feeling Axel’s strong chest. 

“What are you trying to do?” Axel asked. Not that he minded Roxas pushing his clothing half way up his torso, but he would like to know why. Not to mention the cold biting into his exposed sides. He retaliated in his own way by sneaking up the back of Roxas’s shirt and warmed the cool skin he found. He could feel Roxas relax under his touch and start to leave feather light kisses across his clavicle.

“Trying to warm up.” The blond pushed up on his forearms, making it easier to kiss Axel. The hands that were rubbing up his back moved back down and grabbed his hips, holding him in place. Roxas could feel his heart speed up as the kiss deepened. He had brought an extra surprise with him in case things went smoothly between them. He was nervous about it. But for their relationship to progress and for them to be able to fully trust each other it had to happen. He pulled on Axel’s coat, signaling that he wanted it off. 

Axel groaned as he was forced out of the warm clothing, “Is part of you warming up means stealing my clothes?” The man quietly said when he managed to break away from the teen’s tempting lips.

Roxas blushed and had to look away out of embarrassment. He didn’t know how to express what he wanted from Axel, “No. Me warming up would require both of us naked.” He managed to quickly get out. Roxas took advantage of Axel’s shocked state and started to tear away the redhead’s scarf and jacket. He felt the hands on his hips start to warm up as Axel started to understand what was going on, but it wasn’t so bad. Roxas noticed the warmth, but it wasn’t burning. He doubted it would leave a mark on him. Maybe Axel leaving for training was a good idea after all.

“Not even home for a day and you’re already trying to get me out of my clothes.” Axel joked, but that didn’t stop him from hindering Roxas from removing his shirt and start working on his pants. The fire next to them intensified as the redhead’s chest was exposed and his pants were eagerly getting tugged down, “Don’t you think this is kind of unfair?” 

“What do you me-ah!” Roxas was flipped onto his back and his clothing was pulled off, but he wasn’t cold. Pressed between the soft blanket and Axel’s warm body protected him from the winter air. “Jerk. Roxas poked Axel’s arm to get the redhead’s attention, “You better make sure I don’t catch a cold out here. If I end up sick you better nurse me back to health.” 

Axel shut the threat up with a quick kiss, “Do I have to wear a nurse uniform?” A brief image of Axel wearing a short white dress with a small hat trying to restrain those wild red spikes made a loud, gasping laugh escape Roxas. His hands wondered down Axel’s toned chest and abs until his fingers found Axel’s pants that were barely clinging to his bony hips. A warm hand found its way inside of his own pants, playing with him and distracting him from undressing Axel.

“Mmm…it’d be a crime if you didn’t. In fact, screw being sick, I want you dressed like that all the time. When we get back to the castle let’s go find Olette and have her give you one.” Roxas managed to pant out. He didn’t know how long he could last. Between Axel’s firm strokes and the long dry spell, Roxas felt like he would explode at any moment, “S-stop. Not ready yet.” Roxas pushed Axel slightly away from him, sighing in relief once the man’s hold was off of him, “I have…ummm.” He paused and looked over towards the abandoned basket, “I wanted to. Here just let me.” Roxas crawled out from under Axel and grabbed a bottle of oil he had hidden in the basket.

Green eyes widened, “Are you sure?” His voice was quiet, almost hesitant. Like he didn’t want to scare Roxas off, “Don’t do something you’re not sure about.”

Roxas shut the man up with a kiss, “I’m sure.” He quietly breathed out, “I trust you.” He went to kiss Axel again, but was stopped.

“We can switch the roles up.” Axel offered. His eyes darted around, refusing to look at Roxas after the offer. When no reply came the redhead continued talking, “It’s only fair. After our wedding what I did, I don’t want to put you through that again.”

Roxas grabbed Axel by the face and shut him up with a quick kiss, “Then show me that you can treat me right. Then maybe next time I can have my turn.” He nipped at Axel’s lower lip. He pressed the oil into Axel’s shake hands, “You won’t hurt me.” He reassured the redhead as he went back to work on taking off the man’s pants and underwear, along with his. Axel didn’t seem to notice, his attention fully on the little bottle, he looked like he was having a battle inside himself with what to do, and it made Roxas’s heart ache for the man. But he couldn’t have the man dwell on his past action too long. With a heave, Roxas managed to get Axel onto his back, where he straddled the taller man’s hips, “But I want to be on top.” The blond bore his hips down, smirking when he felt Axel harden underneath him. 

Something wet touched Roxas’s backside, making him shiver, “You sure about this?” Axel asked. His finger gliding towards Roxas’s entrance. He felt the blond push back against him, eager to start. 

Roxas moaned his response. His hand reached down and he started to stroke himself and Axel at the same time. How could the redhead be so hard but still resist him so much? The younger prince was touched. Axel must really not want to hurt him, “Please Axel.” Roxas moaned, “I’m sure.” He wanted to add that he’s been ready since the night Axel had left the kingdom, but he knew that would kill the mood. To prove his point he started to pump them faster, earning a groan from the redhead.

With Roxas’s permission, Axel slowly fingered the teen open. Using the other times he had done this to make Roxas feel nothing but pleasure. Roxas panted above him. His face pressed into the redhead’s neck. He shuttered and gasped as he was slowly stretched open. Long fingers gently pushed against his walls and poking at his prostate. Plenty of oil was used, to make things easier. 

Roxas rocked between his hand and Axel’s fingers. His gasps and moans echoed throughout the forest, witch Axel’s grunts of pleasure answering back, “Ahh…Axel…that’s enough.” Roxas pushed his face out of the man’s neck. He released their hard members so he could maneuver himself into a more comfortable position. He sat up with one hand planted on Axel’s chest, and the other lining Axel up with him. With a shaky breath Roxas started to lower himself down. 

“Fuck-Ah!” The stretch was more intense than just Axel’s fingers. But his body willingly accommodate the length. 

Axel’s grip on Roxas tightened at the feeling of that tight heat. He helped guide Roxas down, “Roxas.” He managed to grunt out once said blond was completely sitting on him, “You okay?” He massaged small circles into porcelain skin.

Roxas could only nod. The feeling of being filled to his limits left him speechless. Placing both hands on the redhead’s strong chest and started to rock up and down. The head of Axel’s cock brushing against his prostate with each movement. 

Axel couldn’t help but marvel at the sight. His angelic blond seemed to glow in the faint moon light and firelight. His skin covered in a sheen of sweat from their activities, but the cold didn’t seem to bother him as he gracefully moved. Blue eyes fluttered closed. His head tilted forward as sweet moans spilt from his lips. Wanting to hear more of Roxas’s moans and cries for him, Axel gripped Roxas’s dripping length and started to pump him in time with the movement of the teen’s hips.

They kept the pace slow, enjoying the feel of being connected. But they could only go so slow before it became too much. Roxas lowered himself, not only to be able to move his lower half faster, but to be able to kiss Axel. A strong hand wove into his hair to hold him in place.

Blue eyes were about to slip closed, but the fire caught his attention. Slightly pulling away Roxas watched as the flames grew brighter and brighter. It didn’t take long for the blond to realize that he couldn’t feel any burns on him. Axel must have been transferring his power to the fire. A handy trick that Roxas greatly appreciated. As his and Axel’s thrusts grew faster and more powerful, the flames got brighter. 

“So close.” Roxas muttered in between gasps and swears. He was losing his mind. 

“Me to.” Axel answered back. He planted his feet on the ground, giving him more power with his thrusts, which almost bucked Roxas off him. But the blond stayed put and moved against he man. Axel’s hand pumping his cock sped up too.

With a final cry Roxas released over Axel’s chest and abs. The tightness inside Roxas intensified. The fire brightened up to the point it made the clearing look like it was day time as Axel came inside his husband.

The two lay in the afterglow, panting and leaving innocent kisses. Axel rubbed his hands up and down Roxas’s body, trying to keep the younger prince from getting cold.

“Thank you.” Axel kissed Roxas’s forehead and hugged him close, “Best birthday ever.”

Roxas grinned as he inhaled the sent of tea and smoke, “Yeah.” He quietly agreed. Sleep slowly sinking in. Roxas was not looking forward to the walk back to he palace. 

“Roxas,” Axel breathed out, “I think I-“

“Yeah, me too Axel.” Roxas felt his eyes slowly start to close as the feeling of peace washed over him, “Me too.

Sometimes words weren’t always necessary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to add another chapter, but I felt like this wrapped it up nicely. Axel and Roxas have been at odds with each other this whole fic, so them finally coming to terms with each other just seemed like a good end. What do you think?   
> Review and tell me if you liked it or not -heart-


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